In his first event of the season, the FBR Open, Phil Mickelson went MC-Hammer Trunk Slammer. In event number two, the Buick Invitational, Mickelson was barely a blip on the radar screen.
It's one thing for a player, even one of Phil's caliber, to struggle coming out of the gates, but it's another when he does it at tournaments where he's won multiple times, tournaments held in cities that he's held a permanent residence in at one time.
This begs the question, what part of Phil's game is seriously lacking? Some will point to a bad driver or a balky putter, but I believe the issue lies beneath that even.
Phil has coaches, multiple coaches to be exact. For the full swing there's Butch Harmon, who oversaw arguably the greatest season ever in Tiger Woods' 2000 Pillaging Tour. For the short game there's Dave Pelz, golf's answer to baseball stats guru Bill James. For the body there's Sean Cochran, the former strength coach for the San Diego Padres.
There's one thing missing on Team Phil: A sport psychologist. That might be what Phil needs most right now. In fairness, there is the possibility Phil might be seeing a mental coach right now and might not be saying so. He has worked with Dr. Bob Rotella in the past, and his sister, PGA professional Tina Mickelson, is quoted on the back of Dr. Joseph Parent's book, "Zen Golf".
But if there isn't someone he's seeing maybe it's time he does. Padraig Harrington is extremely forthcoming about the work he's done with Rotella, perhaps Phil should follow suit and add one more coach to Team Phil.