Is Tiger Falling Behind Phil?

Some jokes are just for fun, and some come with a little cutting truth.

Someone told Phil Mickelson the other day that it was hard not to notice that at the Masters, he was hitting farther off the tee, off every tee, than Tiger Woods.

Did Mickelson notice?

"I kept having to wait for him to hit, sure,'' Mickelson said, laughing.

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Sure, Woods had to keep going first, being farthest from the hole and all. And you're going to have to decide whether Mickelson meant that as a fun thing or a jab at his rival. I'll go with the jab. But either way, those words are surely burning into Woods' head about now, as he goes into the first round at the Players Championship Thursday in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

Basically, Woods hates Mickelson. Hates is probably too strong of a word.

Probably.

But Woods has not been the same since returning from his knee surgery.

His trademark driver has been shorter, and crooked. He says he has no pain. So are we starting to see the clock ticking on Woods?

Well, yes and no. No in that he's going to win plenty more majors. All that champion-stuff is still inside him.

But yes, too, because he has had four knee surgeries now, and for the image of Woods burned into our heads of a 20-year old in red shirt pumping his fist, he actually is 33 now, married with children.

Receding hairline. A tiny paunch even.

He might suffer from chronic knee pain. For the talk of his superhuman swing and perfect technique, the truth is he's putting immense amount of pressure on his body with that swing. And every body is going to make you pay for that.

Even Tiger Woods'.


That's not to say his game is going to start slipping. Not yet. But the damage is adding up, and in the meantime he has to get used to being able to leap only medium-sized buildings in a single bound.

"It's just I've been away from the game for a long time, and it's going to take a little bit of time before my body gets back to where I can hit the ball the same distances,'' he said. "I don't hit the ball the same distance with my irons or my driver. But it's coming.

"Each and every week I'm getting a little better. And the body is starting to get a little more comfortable with everything. When you're away for that long, and I have a whole new leg, it's going to take a little time.''

Woods has got to be dying to get there. When you first come back, you count on rust, and are just pleased to be back doing what you like. But it has been more than two months since he returned from reconstructive surgery on his ACL, the main ligament in the knee. And he was in contention at the Masters, before falling apart on the last two holes.

He has to be ready for the real him to return now, too.

And if the recovery is bugging him most, surely the next biggest thing is ... Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson always seems to be there with Woods now, like a gnat, only in rolled up sleeves and with a white belt. They were in the same group on the final day of the Masters, with Mickelson finishing better in front of the world. And if Mickelson wins the Players Championship and Woods finishes in fifth place or worse, then Mickelson will take Woods' No. 1 spot in the world rankings for the first time.

"I don't look at it as being an important thing on the top of my mind,'' Mickelson said. "It's something that I feel that if I play well and win tournaments, stuff like that will come.

"But I think looking back on my career, I think that it would mean a lot to me to be able to say at one point I was No. 1, even if it was for a week, a month. . .to say I climbed to the top.''

God, Woods must hate hearing stuff like that.

But finding himself right there with Woods, Mickelson has been watched a lot more, too.

His flaws, recent wacky clothes and nervous finishes have emerged even more.

So it's one guy rehabbing, trying to find his regular spot back in greatness while the other guy is always knocking on the door, trying to get in.

If Mickelson passes Woods to No. 1, will he have finally gotten there?

No. But it's going to mean something to both players anyway.

"Even if someone does get to No. 1, I don't think someone is going to think they're truly the No. 1 player in the world,'' said Geoff Ogilvy, who also has a shot at being No. 1 soon. "The reality is, Tiger is the best player in the world at the moment and probably for the next _ for the foreseeable future.''

True enough. But he will be playing two tournaments in a row now for the first time in over a year, and also going to the range after rounds for the first time.

He's likely going to dominate again, but realize that this problem is real. And now the punishment on is 33-year old body starts again.