But instead of the Impregnable Quadra-Mickelson, we got the Impossible Double Bogey. Phil Mickelson left the building and Jon Van de Velde took his place. It was an eerie return to the days when “Phil the Thrill” specialized in self-destruction.

In the weeks since, Woods has reclaimed his turf. He won the British Open without protest and slam-dunked the PGA on Sunday. He has won three tournaments in a row now, by a combined score 60-under par. He is making you and your PGA Tour friends look like cheap imitations.

To make matters worse, Mickelson lost both tournaments. He lost to Woods and Geoff Ogilvy in the battle of the previous major winners during the first two rounds, then quietly succumbed on Saturday and Sunday. Now, there is talk of a Tiger-Slam II, now the year belongs to Tiger, stolen right out from under Mickelson.

Mickelson is back to asking question about what his career might look like if Woods wasn’t around. He refuses to think in those terms.

“No, I love the chance to compete against such a great competitor,” Mickelson said. “He’s one of the best players of all time, if not the best. It’s been a fun challenge for me and the other guys to play against him, and he’s also pushed me to work harder and get better and achieve levels of success I may not have achieved, had he not been there pushing me.”

He’s pushing again, Phil, pushing harder than ever. That hissing sound we hear at Medinah was the last ounce of momentum leaving your sails.

Slide show   Week in Sports Pictures Flying on the hardwood, racing on the rink, getting physical on the gridiron, and much more. more photos

“Most of my season, 80 percent of my season, is up to the U.S. Open,” Mickelson said earlier in the week. “Then I only play three or four or five events thereafter. Again, I’ve had a fun year and a chance to win two of the (four) majors.”

On Sunday, Mickelson was still trying to keep that stiff upper lip. “I fought hard the first couple of rounds when I didn’t have it and tried to hang in there over the weekend,” he said. “Just Tiger’s play, I wasn’t able to catch up.”

Earlier this year it looked like Mickelson had caught up. Now it appears he’s even further behind. 

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