Four-Ball: What we learned from Phil Mickelson's return to action
— -- Phil Mickelson tied for 21st over the weekend at the CareerBuilder Challenge, his first event after missing three months because of two sports-hernia surgeries.
Was that respectable effort a sign Lefty can return to the win column for the first time since 2013? And speaking of multiple-major winners on the comeback trail, what should we expect from Tiger Woods at this week's Farmers Insurance Open?
Our panel chimes in on those questions and more in this week's edition of Monday Four-Ball.
Will Phil Mickelson win this year, and why or why not?
ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jonathan Coachman: Mickelson will not win this year. I just don't believe he can put together four great rounds. This really has nothing to do with his game. Look at everybody else. Someone every week is putting up an incredible number. You almost can't make more than two or three bogeys and still be able to win. Competition is at an all-time high. Look at Mickelson at the Ryder Cup the final day -- amazing. At The Open on Thursday and Sunday -- amazing. The days in between -- just OK. It takes four rounds, and I don't think he can do it anymore. I hope I am wrong.
ESPN SportsCenter anchor Matt Barrie: Mickelson now qualifies under the header of "crafty veteran" who always seems to find a way near the top of the leaderboard and has every bit of the game to not only contend, but win. His duel with Henrik Stenson at The Open last year was world-class golf, and any other year he would have won. If he stays healthy, I expect him to be as competitive this year as he was last.
ESPN.com senior golf writer Michael Collins: Mickelson's three-year win drought will end this year because he's still got the game and, most importantly, the belief that he can beat the "kids." I believe his close calls the past two years have only made him hungrier to prove the doubters wrong.
ESPN.com senior golf writer Bob Harig: Mickelson was somewhat unlucky he did not win in 2016, The Open being the best example. Even after a long time off, he made a bunch of birdies at the CareerBuilder and is still capable of shooting low. The key is giving himself enough opportunities, which he will do.
ESPN.com senior golf writer Jason Sobel: He'll win because he's due. I wish I had a better explanation than that, but golf has a way of evening things out over time. Mickelson played well enough to win at Royal Troon last year; the golf gods will pay him back at some point.
What are your realistic expectations for Tiger Woods this week at Torrey Pines?
Coachman: Make the cut. I think he has the firepower to play well. But this is not the Bahamas, and Torrey Pines can bite you in a hurry. If Woods can make the cut, that will be a positive. He is going to try to use the next four tournaments to get better every week. I don't want to get ahead of myself, and I know that Tiger doesn't either.
Barrie: My expectations for Tiger will be to make the cut and finish the tournament. And until he does that in a handful of events, I can't shift expectations any further. For the remainder of his career, the question will be health. I need to see sustained periods of pain-free golf to elevate beyond that.
Collins: My hope is that Tiger makes the cut and gets a top-10, but that's not realistic. It's realistic to think he'll be close to the cut line and lucky to make the weekend. If he does play the weekend, a top-50 finish would be a great building block for the year.
Harig: Making the cut would be a good week, and I'm not so sure that will happen. Tiger's past success at Torrey Pines means little at this point. It is a long, hard golf course with plenty of deep rough. As well as his return went in the Bahamas, seven weeks have passed and the process of his return remains a long one.
Sobel: Just another step in the process. More solid drives, more decent putts -- and fewer big numbers than he had during the Hero World Challenge. I won't judge him based on score or result this week. As long as he's showing progress, it's a good step.
How many more sub-60 rounds will be shot this year, and will something (the golf ball, for example) be changed because of it?
Coachman: I think we'll see at least one more sub-60. But it's ridiculous to say the golf ball needs to be fixed. These guys have just gotten really good. Why don't we set up the courses to be a bit more difficult? There are ways to limit these low rounds, but you don't want to go to extreme.
Barrie: There have been only nine sub-60 rounds in golf history. And yes, we've had two recently with Justin Thomas and Adam Hadwin. But, I'm not sure the 59 floodgates will open all of the sudden. I'm going with none the rest of the way, therefore keeping the current ball alive and well.
Collins: One more 59 will be shot this year, but that's not what will bring the change. When a couple of 62s are shot in major championships, the reaction will be the same as when an anchored putter won the four majors: The golf ball will get rolled back. Just like the anchored stroke, the ruling bodies won't care about low scores until it affects their tournaments.
Harig: I would be surprised if there are any more sub-60 scores. It is still an incredible achievement, despite the recent run. The bottom line is the Hawaii and Palm Springs courses have always been prone to such scoring, and it's more of a surprise it hasn't happened more often. For that reason, I don't see any changes occurring, other than perhaps toughening up some of these courses.
Sobel: Maybe one or two more, but nothing will change because the individual tournaments actually benefit from the increased coverage when players go low. There are no organizations charged with protecting 59, so there's none that will make a ruling that attempts to eliminate these numbers.
The PGA Merchandise Show is this week. You are golf's Willy Wonka; give me your "great golf invention."
Coachman: My great golf invention would be the virtual-reality golf simulator. I would love to feel like I was really at the different courses. This kind of technology is really starting to take over, and if you can make me believe I am at TPC Sawgrass then that would be just awesome.
Barrie: No way am I giving you my golf invention! Some really smart person will jack my idea from this space and make millions of dollars from it. Let's just say it's really good, might exist in some fashion already, and you'd never lose a golf ball or be unsure about your distance to the green/cup again. I'll be in Orlando this week and on the lookout for idea stealers.
Collins: I'd like to introduce you to the last golf ball you'll ever buy. Unless you hit it in a pit of venomous snakes and won't go get it, you'll always find the ball that has a microchip in it connected to your smartphone. Water activates the flotation function in a cover that always looks new. It costs $300, but you'll only ever need one.
Harig: A golf ball that allows the average player to hit it farther -- while dialing back the distance for the pros, allowing the great, old courses to play the way they were designed.
Sobel: Imagine walking into a golf simulator, but instead of you swinging the club, you place your hands into oversized gloves that produce the same swing as somebody else. It would give amateurs an opportunity to truly feel what it's like to swing like Rory McIlroy or Dustin Johnson. I think I need to get this thing patented.
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