For a while there, their names were inextricably linked. Not for what they had done, but, rather for what they had yet to accomplish -- a major title.

And now there's just one.

Tag. Phil Mickelson is it.

David Duval wrapped his arms around the Claret Jug last month at Royal Lytham and, with that, tapped Lefty on the shoulder and waved goodbye. One great week and the best players who have yet to win a major became the best player.

Fair? You may not think so, but tough.

The man himself even agrees. Gee, Mr. Positive doesn't even consider it a negative.

"What I would see as being a negative is having not won a major and not even being included among the best players to have not won a major," he said. "That's basically saying, 'Gosh, you may never do it.'"

We're not prepared to go there yet. Not even close.

Now Colin Montgomerie? He's getting dangerously close to his expiration date. And his swoon at the British Open has ensured that he's not even on the current major short list. All of which doesn't mean Monty can't ever win a major, but we're figuring it'll take a come-out-of-nowhere final round if he does.

But Lefty? He's been justthisclose twice already this year. The Masters and the U.S. Open. The British? Don't go there.

He's trimmed down on those where-did-that-come-from shots we used to see explode off the end of his club. Minimizing the misses, he and teacher Rick Smith call it. Playing smarter. Not necessarily more conservatively.

Lefty's game is to attack. That doesn't mean go for everything, but it does mean go for what you think you can. Push the envelope. Just don't split it wide open in the process.

And don't assume just because Tiger and Double D go for it on certain holes this week, Lefty will. All too often we righties forget that guys who play from the other side of the ball don't necessarily see the same things we do. Take Carmel Bay. A rightie thinks about it off the tee at Pebble Beach. Lefty sees it at address. Same thing applies when you're shaping shots into greens.

Having said that, Lefty's already hard at work on his game plan for the week. And why not? He just about owns Atlanta. At least lately.

He won the 2000 BellSouth Classic at the TPC at Sugarloaf and took down Tiger to win the 2000 TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP at East Lake, known around here as the other course Bobby Jones built. Add in a Walker Cup win at Peachtree Country Club in 1989 as an amateur and a third-place at this year's BellSouth and ... well, now here he is at Atlanta Athletic Club, Jones' home club.

"For whatever reason, I've enjoyed the city," he said. "I've enjoyed the grasses, the style of golf courses that are here and some very fond memories starting with the '89 Walker Cup."

So can we say he's the favorite here? Not really.

But he's firmly entrenched on the short list.

He loves the area, plays old style courses well and has the short game to do just about anything he wants. But he hasn't done it.

The Masters? Hey, Tiger outplayed Lefty and Double D when it counted, so we're not deducting points there, anymore than we'd deduct them for coming in second to Payne Stewart at the 1999 U.S. Open. But Southern Hills? Hmmm, now that's a different matter.

It doesn't get much better than that setup. He was primed to run the tables on Sunday and tag Duval on the shoulder first. But he didn't.

Two down with 18 to play. A setup against a handful of guys not named Tiger or Duval. But instead of winning the Open, he wound up with a post-birthday dinner hangover. The train wreck of missed putts by Stewart Cink, Mark Brooks and eventual champ Retief Goosen couldn't hold a candle to Mickelson's meltdown. A closing 75? Shots everywhere?

Saturday night he swore he was going to let go of the bad shots. He knew he'd hit some, but he wouldn't let them get to him. But the kid who started the day with that zillion-dollar smile was nothing but a pair of slumped shoulders at the turn.

If nothing else, he should have taken this away from the final round -- two guys with not as much natural talent managed their games well enough to get into an Open playoff. Brooks, has a PGA Championship. Goosen now has an Open. Heck, Tiger even took note of the way they played.

When asked about it, Mickelson danced around it, talking about how Southern Hills reminded him of this course and that he thought players who played well there would play well here. We hope he was just dancing around because he was the one who, after losing at Colonial in May, talked about needing to overcome his "mental blocks on Sundays." That afternoon, too, he said if he didn't figure it out, it would be a long time until he won again.

Now, three months later, Mickelson hopes the work he's done since Colonial -- how many short putts did he miss there? -- and the Open will make a difference here, in a city where he's got nothing but great feelings. Then again, we seemed to be saying similar things in Tulsa.

Count Tiger among those who swear it won't be long now until Mickelson is tagging someone else -- Sergio or Jim Furyk perhaps? -- on the shoulder.

"Phil will win one" Tiger said. "It's a matter of time. He's not that old. It's not like he's 50 years old. He's in his early 30s. He will be contending and he'll get a couple of lucky breaks and win a major championship. Or he'll just flat outplay everybody."

Believe us, we're waiting for the day.

Double D did it at Lytham. You could see from the start he knew it was his week. There was just something about the way he carried himself; the way he spoke.

Could this be Mickelson's next chance to win a major? If it is, he'll probably have to take on Duval, who could easily win a couple of the next four majors, and Tiger, who's rested, relaxed and probably ready to start another take-no-prisoners run.

Mickelson said he's up to the task. And even if -- when -- he does win that major, he doesn't think anything will change. No one will look differently at him.

Duval knows differently. "There's an element of, I don't know ... it's really just that little bit of a question mark of it changes," Duval said. "And I think you get looked at as more of a champion, if you will, as opposed to just having won other golf tournaments. It's just been a different reception."

Truth told, we think Mickelson knows that. And can't wait.

"It would mean a lot to finally break through and win a major, just to prove to myself that it can be done and that all of the hard work that I have put into my game in trying to refine it," he said.

Until then, he'll relish being the best player who hasn't won a major.

He grinned. "But I'm hoping that me being on that list will be short-lived."

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