AUGUSTA, Ga. >> There is a sense in these parts that the biological golf clocks for Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson are ticking time bombs.
They are both in their 40s and dinosaurs among most of the men walking the fairways and greens of this Emerald City, and the patrons following the most popular guys out here are well aware their chances of winning are slimmer than Twiggy.
That’s one reason so many patrons line the 18 paths to immortality or crowd around the pins to catch a glimpse of these two men as their careers wind down like so many greats of the game before them.
Sometimes, it’s not easy to watch their inevitable struggles as they send golf balls flying to parts unknown at Augusta National. Woods has never been an accurate driver like Jim Furyk. Mickelson often prefers a hero shot from the pines rather than a 100-yard approach from the center of the fairway.
When they were younger they often recovered from these wayward tee shots with short games to die for, but these days as Father Time creeps into their joints and bones, it’s increasingly evident that major championships are more in the past than the future.
With that said, Mickelson flirted with the top of the leaderboard for most of Friday’s second round, even getting within one shot of the lead early on before drifting back down the leaderboard as the day wore on. Though he faltered over the finishing holes, it didn’t keep his fans from cheering him on from all sides of the course.
About the time Lefty was making the turn for home, Woods was preparing for his second tour of duty this week with his fans lining the first hole from tee to green. Lots of folks walked the front nine with Phil and then turned around and did it again with Tiger, hoping for that spark of greatness to return and produce the roars reserved only for them.
Part of the fun here is how the threesomes are arranged for your viewing pleasure. Mickelson’s playing partners the first two days were world No. 1 Justin Rose and former No. 1 Justin Thomas. Woods had Jon Rahm by his side and rising Asian star Haotong Li.
You can imagine how exciting it was for Li and Rahm to have Woods as a playing partner at Augusta. The same can be said for the two Justins, who knew the cheers from afar were more for Phil than them, particularly at the two par-5s where Mickelson enjoys taking a chance. Not lost on those watching this threesome on Friday was the fact Mickelson hung with both. After 36 holes, he was 4 under for the event with Thomas also at 4 under. Rose finished at plus 4 and is in danger of losing his top world golf ranking after missing the cut.
The younger Woods was just as successful competing with Li and Rahm, holding his own well enough to remain deep in the conversation for a chance at his fifth green jacket. He hasn’t won here since 2005, but dropped to 6 under for the tournament and within one of the lead with three birdies on the back. He seemed to inspire Rahm, who got off to a fast start with birdies of his own on two of the first three holes before riding the par train in as part of their back nine was played in a driving rainstorm.
Weather is expected to be a real factor over the weekend with a 50 percent chance of thunderstorms today and 90 percent on Sunday. How this affects these two remains to be seen, but rickety bodies generally don’t do well in wet weather. Generally. Woods seemed to play better as the round progressed and, like Mickelson, is looking forward to the weekend, where 15 golfers are within three shots of the lead. Staying loose during anticipated delays will be part of the story for the old men in the club and hopefully Father Time can wait a while longer before laying claim to these two popular champions.
