AKRON, Ohio – On a lazy Saturday morning in the Rubber Capital of the World, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were on the opposite sides of the track at Firestone Country Club, wandering amidst the tree-lined fairways searching for anything that will ignite their lethargic games.
Because of impending storms barreling toward the South Course, the PGA Tour moved up tee times and split the field into groups of three and sent them off two tees. Although Woods commenced his round on the first and Mickelson on the 10th, the two shared a common goal.
Contending was not the goal, as Woods started his third round 10 shots behind pace-setting Sergio Garcia with Mickelson 15 back at the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational. But with the leaders behind them on the course and well ahead of them on the leaderboard, the two biggest names and best players of their generation, who have combined for 19 majors and 121 PGA Tour victories, were trying to become young again in the autumn of their careers.
Mickelson's exploration came up empty.
"I thought I was closer than I am," Mickelson said. "My first two rounds showed me I'm not as close as I thought I was."
Mickelson is 44 but looked older this week as he battled the lingering effects of strep throat and the enduring faults with his swing, especially when it comes to his short irons. Listless throughout the first three days, Lefty shot 71-73-69. The week has mirrored his season. Since winning the British Open last year, he's winless in 24 starts, has but two top-10s but none on the PGA Tour this year and has fallen to No. 13 in the official world golf rankings.
"I'm definitely identifying a lot of weaknesses," a deflated Mickelson said about the state of his game heading into next week's PGA Championship. "I've got a lot of work to do to feel better. … It's been a long time since I've played well, and it's been more of a struggle than I thought it would be. I thought it would come back a little bit quicker. I felt really close at the British and Scottish. I thought it was going to click.
And then the first two rounds here were disappointing."
Asked if he had enough time to turn his game around before next week, Mickelson shrugged and said he wasn't sure.
"It would be out of nowhere for me to play well," he said. "But you just never know."
Woods, 38, is more optimistic. He's winless this year after winning five times in 2013 and has dropped to No. 10 in the world.
While he's played just nine competitive rounds since back surgery March 31, his self-imposed high bar has left him a bit disappointed following rounds of 68-71-72. And in the back of his mind is the thought that if he doesn't win next week, he won't be playing in the FedExCup Playoffs, which would force U.S. Ryder Cup captain Tom Watson to use one of his three discretionary picks for Woods to play in the biennial bash with Europe.
"I hit it pretty decent today, which was nice. I just didn't putt well at all again," he said. "I couldn't get comfortable with my setup, and unfortunately, it just kind of worked out that way. … I just need more reps. I'll still continue to stay at it because I'm actually getting better the more rounds I'm playing. I'm actually getting my feel back. I'm hitting more shots pin high right on the numbers. I just need to convert."
Woods switched out his driver this week and went back to the Nike model he used last year. It hasn't helped – he's hit just three of 18 fairways the past two rounds when pulling it out of the bag.
"I figured the lighter shaft should help me out a little bit, get some speed back, because I'm just not quite as explosive as I need to be," Woods said. "I haven't done any explosive lifting. I haven't done any of my fast-twitch (exercises) yet. As soon as I start doing my fast twitch stuff, I can get my speed back up and then I can go back to my old driver."
The sooner, he hopes, the better.
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