Mickelson will attack to maintain record

Except for three days every two years, Tiger Woods has what Phil Mickelson covets: eight major championships; the No. 1 ranking in the world ; the cachet of one of the most influential athletes ever.

Starting tomorrow, Mickelson, the world's No. 2 golfer, has about the only thing in his sport seemingly out of Woods' reach: a winning record in the Ryder Cup.

Mickelson, who can't get out of his own way every time a win in a major is at hand, owns a 6-3-2 career record in three Ryder Cup appearances. He is also still pitching a shutout in the four majors, despite 15 top-10 finishes.

Woods, inexplicably, is 3-6-1 in two Ryder Cup appearances.

Mickelson is a heavy betting favorite to lead the U.S. team in points when it faces the Europeans starting tomorrow at The Belfry in the 34th Ryder Cup, the world's most-watched match-play event.

Is there anything Mickelson can glean from his outstanding Ryder Cup record that he could incorporate into his game when he tees it up at a major?

``That seemed to be the case when Fred (Couples) played with Raymond (Floyd) in Kiawah in 1991,'' said Mickelson, allowing for the possibility he could learn something that might end his battle with majors misery. ``It created a different Fred Couples as a player. The following year in 1992 he had a spectacular win at the Masters, and also (the Los Angeles Open) and Bay Hill in landslide victories.

``So, historically, it has occurred where players have taken their play from the Ryder Cup and used it to greater inspire their play on the Tour. Will it happen this year? Possibly. Who will it be? I don't know. Will it be me? I don't know.''

What happened to Couples was simple. Floyd, as feisty a player as there ever was, took the somewhat lethargic Couples under his wing and showed him how intensity could produce victory. Mickelson just needs someone to show him how to cross the finish line without tripping over the tape.

So who could he be paired with, Woods? It would make a formidable four-ball pairing, but the general belief is the two mix only slightly better than oil and water. They've never played together in a Cup match.

``They are friends, they respect each other,'' said U.S. captain Curtis Strange. ``They are competitors, peers, (Nos.) 1 and 2 in the world. One (Mickelson) is No. 2 who is trying to be No. 1. It is almost impossible to be best bosom buddies when you are trying to achieve the same thing in any sport, in any business.''

A birdie machine, Mickelson is enormously long off the tee, has an assortment of short-game magic that boggles the mind, but is extremely overrated as a putter. He just happened to have been born at a time when all his attributes can elevate him to No. 2 in the world and probably no higher.

But not in Ryder Cup play. This week, Mickelson (3-0-0 in singles) is in his element.

``The style of golf doesn't really differ (from stroke play), but sometimes a decision might change based on the opponent,'' said Mickelson, who does everything right-handed except play golf. ``Typically off the tee I have a tendency to be a little bit farther than my opponent and if that's the case I have the ability to watch what my opponent has done (and adjust).''

The left-hander's theory about the value of hitting second making a huge difference in match play doesn't hold up to scrutiny when the inevitable Mickelson/Woods analogy is made. Woods is just as long off the tee as Mickelson, if not longer, and his Ryder Cup record is a disgrace.

``I certainly try to bring my best golf out in these matches because I understand they're important and I understand the history of them,'' Mickelson said.

Maybe it's this simple: Mickelson might feel very comfortable knowing he doesn't have to play Tiger Woods in any Ryder Cup match.