Mickelson Loses, Accenture Now Tame

Phil Mickelson, as Shane noted yesterday, was the Accenture Match Play Championship's last hope for a big-name run over the weekend. Unfortunately, he lost to Stewart Cink after missing a 20-foot birdie putt on 18 that would have sent the match into extra holes.

When Tiger Woods announced his return to the Accenture tournament, it was guaranteed to be an amazing weekend of shootout, match-play style golf. Then two of the number one seeds fell on the first day. Tiger and Vijay Singh followed suit in the second round. And now Phil is out as well.

Of course, it was a somewhat typical "Phil loss," really. Mickelson watched Cink come out white hot with three early birdies to put the left-hander in a hole. Mickelson then responded with a comeback (twice) before whiffing on chances to take the lead (both times).

The first came when he sailed his shot from the teebox into "a desert bush." And the second was on a missed four-foot bogey putt on 17. Mickelson was his typical self after the round, saying, "I felt like I hit the ball better today, even though coming down the stretch I hit a couple of squirrelly ones that kind of cost me."

"Squirrelly ones" "down the stretch" is a pretty accurate term for Mickelson's game at times, despite his success, and it's a statement that, considering Tiger's return, doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.

Neither does the rest of the field in the Accenture: Geoff Ogilvey has played quietly fantastic golf lately, but he's the only remaining player above a four-seed for a weekend of golf that will almost certainly disappoint NBC executives, who were likely hoping for Tiger to make a run.