1. Last week, the field for the 2022 PGA Championship got a bit more clear, as Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson both officially entered the event, which is May 19-22 at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla. But we still have questions, and let’s start with Tiger. Not only has he registered, but he also played a highly publicized practice round there on Thursday. At this point, would it be more surprising if Woods didn’t play the PGA? And how would Southern Hills set up for him?
James Colgan, assistant editor (@jamescolgan26): At this point, yeah, it’d be pretty surprising if he didn’t play. As for performance, Tiger took time at the Masters to emphasize the importance of staying out of the rough given his current health. Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner’s 2018 restoration at Southern Hills dramatically opened the course, and while I’d bet there’s plenty of thick bermuda come tournament week, I think those tweaks would benefit his game.
Nick Piastowski, senior editor (@nickpia): Yeah, Tiger’s playing. Of course, we’re not doctors — we just play them online — but by all accounts, he looked good on Thursday, and he looked fine during his Tiger Jam event in Vegas. As for Southern Hills, it’s different from what he saw when he won in 2007, but it’s familiar, and that has to be comforting as he picks and chooses his events.
Josh Sens, senior writer (@JoshSens): He’s playing. We don’t always get PGA Championships at truly world-class designs like Southern Hills. As challenging as it is, I would say the subtleties of the architecture will work in his favor. This is not a bomb-and-gouge course. It takes imagination, creative shot-making, a wizardly short game. No one has more of those three than Tiger.
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Sean Zak, senior editor (@Sean_Zak): It would be surprising if he didn’t tee it at Southern Hills, but I refuse to believe that the course will set up well for him. It can’t. He’s seen it, which is great, but he’ll know it about as well as the rest of the field knows it. And they won’t be 46-going-on-60. Doses of reality about Tiger are rarely met with anything but vitriol online, but I just don’t see it going well if only a couple weeks ago he was polishing off a 78-78 weekend at the Masters.
2. As for Mickelson, his agent, Steve Loy, sent out a statement saying Phil had registered for both the PGA and U.S. Open, but — perhaps most newsworthy — also requested a PGA Tour release for the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London in June. However, there was a careful caveat. “Phil currently has no concrete plans on when and where he will play,” Loy said. “Any actions taken are in no way a reflection of a final decision made, but rather to keep all options open.” Mickelson obviously hasn’t played since he announced he was taking some time away from the game after his controversial comments made earlier this year, and it’s the first we’ve heard from Mickelson or his camp in months. How likely is it that Mickelson defends his PGA title, and if you were advising his return, what would you tell him?
Colgan: It would be a truly dramatic step if the PGA of America barred Phil from playing, which is what I think it’d take for him NOT to play later this month. For Phil, I think it makes a ton of sense to come back at the PGA, where he’s likely to find a congenial audience. For the PGA? Well, that’s the (multi) million dollar question, isn’t it? Piastowski: I’ll say this: Phil playing is less likely than Tiger playing. That being said, let’s put the number at 75 percent that Lefty plays. How can he not defend? And should he, I think it’s a matter of doing the press conference and then moving on. But as for Phil’s future after that? Whew, only he knows. Sens: He defends. He’s got to be dying to. Like James, I don’t see him being barred. Advice for him? He said some ill-considered things and then compounded them with some truly lame blame-the-media mealy mouthed talk. I’d remind him to be forthright in his answers, not try to deflect responsibility. And move on. If some people can’t forgive him, so be it. He can’t control that. As he said himself, he wants to do better. Move ahead with that in mind. Zak: Like Tiger, I think it would be shocking if Mickelson doesn’t tee it at the PGA. If I was his publicist for one week, I would tell him to act exactly like he acted at Kiawah Island: short, to the point, rushing away from journalists as the sun fell to get more swings in on the range. The less words, the better. The less questions, the better. 3. While it’s not completely surprising Mickelson is keeping his options open for some upcoming majors, were you at all shocked to see he’s taking the proper steps to play in the first LIV Golf Invitational Series event, given what’s transpired over the past few months? The statement from Loy came on the same day Sports Illustrated reported 15 players in the world top 100 had requested releases for the first tournament. Despite what happened earlier this year, can and will Mickelson’s presence still lure other potential big-name players? Colgan: Strikes me as following the tried-and-true public relations playbook of laying low for a while before returning to doing exactly what you were doing. Though I’d bet Phil is a closed book about LIV Golf’s financiers and the PGA Tour headed forward. Piastowski: No, I don’t think Mickelson’s presence will draw other players. At this point, it might even deter folks. But the story around the tour hasn’t changed — money will bring in players. Lots and lots of money. Sens: I’m with Nick. I don’t see his presence drawing more players. But it will draw more eyeballs, which might have the ripple effect of attracting more players later on. Zak: Big-name players? No. Lesser players? Yes! There’s going to be an event in London that the Tour will surely grant releases for. And some player outside the top 50 will maybe win more money than Jordan Spieth does all year. It’s only plausible, but it IS plausible. And that will catch some interesting reactions.
Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods are both in the field for Southern Hills, but will they play?