OPINION

By Tim Dahlberg

updated 7:26 p.m. ET June 13, 2007

OAKMONT, Pa. - Phil Mickelson isn’t exactly sure what is wrong with his injured left wrist, other than it hurts. That’s a slight improvement over last year, when no one was certain what was wrong with his head.

The wrist now sports a glove more suited to making a 7-10 split than a 20-foot putt. Underneath the hat on his head, things have proven just as difficult to fix.

This was supposed to be the week when Mickelson would meet his demons head-on in the same tournament where his spectacular collapse a year ago instantly became a part of golf lore.

Either that or it was going to be the week where Mickelson confirmed what many have long suspected — that even Tony Soprano’s psychiatrist would have trouble figuring out what goes on inside Lefty’s brain.

One way or the other, this U.S. Open was going to provide some closure for golf fans everywhere.

Then the wrist messed everything up.

Mickelson messed it up practicing chips out of the rough while preparing for the Open. That’s his story, anyway, and it does sound better than if he hurt it playing catch in the parking lot with his caddie, as he used to do to warm up before some majors.

Just what is wrong is murky at best. Mickelson says it’s inflammation, and it’s gotten bad enough to take a cortisone shot and wrap the wrist in a glove that looks more at home at a bowling alley than a golf course.

You half expected him to strap it onto the space-age contraption that his short-game guru was using to measure the speed of the greens and get a few electrical jolts to speed the healing. Mickelson politely declined autographs during Wednesday’s practice round, pointing to his wrist as the culprit.

107th U.S. Open At Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club Tiger falls short as Cabrera captures title Opinion: Tiger shows vulnerability, limitations Opinion:  Welcome to our world, Tiger Opinion: Tiger won't be tamed at future Opens Opinion: Ornery Oakmont the ultimate winner   Ogilvy fizzles  |  Baddeley flops  | Furyk flunks All-time champions  |      |

Injuries, of course, can be funny things, and no one is claiming Mickelson isn’t being forthright about what ails him. If anything, he tends to give out too much information, in contrast to Tiger Woods, who goes about his business with the openness of a secret agent.

With Mickelson, you knew almost to the hour when his wife was going to go into labor at the 1999 Open. With Woods, the only guess is that his baby will be born sometime this summer.

And look no further than Michelle Wie for evidence that wrist problems can create havoc with a golf game. Mickelson himself withdrew from the Memorial a few weeks ago because of his injury and hasn’t played competitively since.

The injury seems serious enough to cost him a chance to win the tournament he wants — and needs — more desperately than any other.

In a strange way, though, it may have also happened at just the right time.

Without a sore wrist, Mickelson would have come to Oakmont with a lot of explaining to do. His wayward shots on the 18th hole at Winged Foot would have been replayed constantly on TV, and every move he has made since would be analyzed over and over again.

MORE FROM GOLF

Golf Section Front

Rain shortens LPGA Tour Championship to 54 holes Westwood wins Dubai tourney, money titles Brooks, Fowler lead at Pebble Beach Peter Senior wins Champions Tour Q-school Latest golf videos Latest player news, rumors and more Tracking Tiger: News, features and more Tiger's triumphs: Recapping all Woods' wins Vote: When will Tiger win his 15th major? Vote, discuss: Best major of 2009? Golf Section Front   Add Golf headlines to your news reader: