Will a real challenger please stand up?

Yesterday afternoon, I spent most of my time from 3 to 6 glued to the television. I watched enthusiastically as two of the giants of golf battled each other in a showdown that couldn't have been scripted better by the best Hollywood has to offer. In the one corner was Phil Mickelson, on one of the biggest rolls of his career, beloved as "the people's champion", if you will. In the opposite corner, Tiger Woods, at 29 already boasting career acheivements that rival the all-time greats, but coming off his least successful season as a pro. The two most popular golfers on tour, duking it out in the final group at Doral, with no one else close enough to make a realistic chase.

The two titans fought like gladiators throughout the afternoon, providing a variety of highlight reel moments, with Woods eventually prevailing by a slim one stroke margin. Lefty was not without his opportunities, and in fact came agonizingly close to holeing a chip on 18 which would have forced a playoff. But in the end, Tiger prevailed, regained the title of #1 in the world rankings, and had the majority of the sports media proclaiming "He's back." And that's hard to argue, given that he closed his tournament record 264 with rounds of 63 and 66, tracking down Mickleson, who had held at least a share of the lead in each of his last 10 stroke play rounds.

But the media also lauded Mickleson, saying that he had gone toe to toe with Woods, and stood up to the challenge. They praised his ability to recover from Woods' stunning eagle on the par 5 12, which gave Tiger a two stroke lead and seemed to close the door. Perhaps, it was suggested, if Woods was about to begin another run of greatness, Mickleson and others would be ready to provide stronger competition.

This may ultimately be true. Vijay Singh dominated the PGA in 2004 while Woods struggled through another swing overhaul. Ernie Els played similarly brilliant golf, and Mickleson had a fine season, highlighted by his first major victory at the Masters. We have yet to see how Vijay and Ernie will hold up against Tiger, if he is returning to form. But Phil's first attempt looks earily similar to things of the past, if you go below the surface.

Yes, Mickleson hung with Woods and made him work for his win. He didn't completely collapse, but it would be hard to say he didn't blink under the pressure. Normally a brilliant putter, Lefty missed a variety of short putts at key moments, putts he had been making all week. The most crucial of these was a 5 foot par putt on 16, which would have returned him to the lead after Woods made bogey on the hole. Entering Sunday, Mickleson's worst round of the tournament was 66, the exact score that Tiger carded on Sunday. Mickleson, however, carded a 69 - 3 strokes off his previous high for the tournament, 3 strokes worse than Woods, and enough to turn his 2 stroke lead into a 1 stroke defeat, Mickleson's 3rd failure in three tries when in the final group with Tiger. Perhaps even more telling - Mickleson's margin to Woods on Sunday's round was exactly the average margin that Woods has outshot his opponents in the final group of a tournament going back to 1999. So, for all his bravado about wanting to go toe to toe with Tiger, Lefty once again threw out an effort that was average at best.

And so I ask: will a real challenger please step up? For the whole of the 2004 season, we heard how there were golfers ready to challenge Tiger, to make a serious run at his pedestal. And it was easy to believe, as we watched Phil, Ernie, and Vijay rack up wins all over the world while Woods struggled. But the early returns from this season indicate that perhaps Woods really wasn't fighting last year. Perhaps prevailing opinion is right, and these other stars don't fear Tiger as they once did. However, maybe that fear was only in hiding, along with Tiger's best golf. The first challenger has taken their shot at the new Tiger, and came up with nothing but air.