COLUMN: Golf

Two months ago, I sat here predicting the future of the 2001 PGA season. You may recall that I had Tiger winning 12 events before June's US Open. Well, here it is a week after Tiger's amazing victory at The Masters -- his third of the season -- and I'm here to revise my early season predictions. Tiger won't win 12 events before the US Open (I did get an "A" in math you know). However, he will win 12 events in 2001.

Based on Tiger's performance at The Masters and the wilting of the competition, I see no reason to doubt my prediction. David Duval made a nice charge on Sunday, but he couldn't get over the proverbial hump. Phil Mickelson, by his own admission, left the tournament out on the golf course. He missed so many putts on Friday and Saturday and made so many mental errors over the four days of competition that you just knew he had little chance of winning his first major.

I heard an interview with Mickelson after The Masters in which he freely admitted that Tiger is on a different mental plain than all of the other PGA Tour players. Bingo, Phil. Tiger has the amazing ability to somehow block out what's going on around him and focus on the task at hand. It's almost Jordanesque the way he's able to rise over the competition when the pressure is on.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Mickelson and Duval won't win a major. I just don't think it will be this year. I'm sure Mickelson learned more about his golf game and mental preparation last weekend than in all the previous tournaments he's played in. He has a burning desire to beat Tiger and be one of the game's best. And, he's one of the few PGA Tour players who actually has the talent to do so on a consistent basis.

So, count me in for nine more Tiger victories in 2001. The Byron Nelson, The Memorial, U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship, The Canadian Open and a handful of others.

Clay Meininger is the director of golf at The Revere at Anthem. He can be reached at 259-4653.