Johnny Miller: 'Right Now, Phil Is Better Than Tiger'

I think it says something when Johnny Miller, perhaps the world's biggest Tiger Woods fan, thinks Phil Mickelson is the favorite heading into the U.S. Open two weeks from now. (Admittedly, these comments were made before Lefty pulled out of the Memorial this morning with a wrist injury, but assuming it's only a minor setback, Miller's point still stands). But it gets better:

"If he drives like he did at the Players, Phil is the guy to beat. He's the clear favorite. [Butch] Harmon and Mickelson and [Dave] Pelz, that's a tough team to beat. Right now, Phil could be the best player in the world. "Tiger and Phil have more talent than anyone, but if Tiger wasn't around, everybody would be bowing down to Phil."

Wow. It's kinda hard to refute that claim -- I guess you can make the case that whoever won the previous full-field event is the best player in the world right now -- but it sounds like Miller is thinking a bit more long-term than last week. A couple of thoughts:

First, is anybody else surprised at Mickelson's turnaround? He started working with Butch Harmon earlier this spring and he won The Players a few weeks ago. Usually, tweaking your swing takes time. I guess somebody forgot to tell Phil. Second, in my mind, Johnny Miller is the best golf analyst on the teevees. And he also loves Tiger. For him to give Mickelson the edge says a lot. Not only about Philbert's game, but also Miller's perception of Philbert's game relative to Tiger's.

Of course, none of this matters if Mickelson's wrist injury is serious. By the way, I wonder if the media still think Phil is suffering from his 2006 U.S. Open collapse. I'm guessing no, though don't expect to hear much about it.

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