Phil Mickelson has been chasing Tiger Woods for years. He may finally catch up to Tiger next week.
On the sidelines at the Masters.
The second step in what could be Mickelson's withdrawal from the year's first major occurred Tuesday, according to radiosport.co.nz. It reported that Mickelson, a five-time Masters champion, has withdrawn from this week's Pro Am at the Houston Open.
Mickelson pulled out of the Texas Open on Saturday because of what was then reported as an abdominal strain. Radiosport, however, said Mickelson's back was the issue. Just like Tiger.
At the time, his caddie Jim Mackay said at the time that Mickelson's decision to shut it down was a precaution.
"He's trying to get ready for Augusta, hitting a lot of drivers, hitting them a little harder and he hit one... and felt a little pain in his side," Mackay told NBC television. "It continued on for a few minutes and he decided he didn't want to take anything to chance relative to what's going on the next couple of weeks."
But the Radiosport website quoted Mickelson's Texas Open playing partner Stuart Appleby, who made the injury sound more serious than Mackay tried to make it.
"Phil had hit a few poor shots but it was the first hole of our back nine when I really noticed there was something wrong, as he just didn't look right," said Appleby.
"Then he sort of feathered one down the next and that was it. He then came over to John (Merrick) and myself and said: "Look guys. I think something's going on in my back and I'm out of here."
Mickelson remains in the draw for the first two rounds of the Houston Open that starts Thursday. But Radiosport reported that Mickelson already missed playing practice rounds at Augusta National on Monday and Tuesday.
If Mickelson can't play in the Pro Am, the question is, how much more can he recover in a day? Common sense dictates that Mickelson would skip the Houston Open to ensure he could play in the Masters.
But if he missed that much practice time, would he feel prepared for the Masters? Mickelson may try to play this weekend to determine whether he can play with the pain next week.
How much interest will you have in the Masters if both Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods are out? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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