Phil Mickelson: 2006 Season Review

PGA Star Has a Roller Coaster Ride of a Season

The year began with great promise and anticipation for PGA Tour star Phil Mickelson. After winning the last major tournament of 2005, Mickelson had high hopes for the 2006 season. Phil Mickelson, the #2 player in the world behind Tiger Woods, practiced thoroughly with his swing coach and his short game coach. The preparation seemed to be paying off as April rolled around. Phil Mickelson already had five top ten finishes, including a run away win at the Bell South Classic. Mickelson was at the top of his game and firing on all cylinders heading into the 2006 Masters, the first major tournament of the year.

Phil Mickelson continued to roll, playing four solid rounds of golf and walking away with the win. The win at the Masters gave him his second green jacket and the third major win of his career. In addition, he had now won two consecutive PGA golf tournaments and the last two majors. With the last two majors under his belt, Phil Mickelson had a chance at the Grand Slam. The Grand Slam is golf's greatest achievement. In order to complete the Grand Slam, a golfer must win all four major tournaments in a row. Only Bobby Jones and Tiger Woods have accomplished this amazing feat.

Phil Mickelson went into the U.S. Open looking for his third consecutive major victory. All eyes were on Phil as he looked to move one step closer to the Grand Slam. The term "Mickelslam" was coined in anticipation of Phil possibly winning the Grand Slam. With Phil Mickelson's recent success, the golf world was beginning to view him as a real threat to replace Tiger Woods as the #1 golfer in the world. Mickelson has always had the talent, but he seemed to come up short in the majors. Now, with three major wins in three years, Phil Mickelson was beginning to win the big ones. The world of golf was buzzing with the possibility of Phil challenging Tiger's #1 world ranking.