Mickelson Caps Week by Missing Cut

When Phil Mickelson put the finishing touches on his second round 76 at the Shell Houston Open, one thing was for sure -- on any given day, Lefty can be both the best and worst professional golfer on the planet.

Just three weeks ago, after Mickelson won his second tournament of the season at the CA Championship, I wrote the following -- "Mickelson is the clear favorite for the year's first major, something he has earned over the last month."

After 77-76 at Houston in windy conditions, Lefty ended Saturday four people from last place, finishing t-134 out of 140 golfers that didn't withdraw from the event.

His first round was pretty nasty. Lefty didn't make a birdie, carding three bogeys and a double on the par-3 7th at Redstone Golf Course. It was a 77 in windy conditions. His second round was just as bad ... a 76 with a double-bogey and a triple-bogey. Phil is 9-over for the tournament and will miss his first cut since the FBR Open in February.

Confidence-wise, this is disastrous for Mickelson. He was playing as well as anyone on tour but skipped the Arnold Palmer Invitational and now got beat by the likes of David Duval and Notah Begay III.

Who knows what will happen next week. He will have some time to rest and get back to the range, but in the sense of being on your game come Augusta, Mickelson isn't exactly driving up Magnolia Lane with his tires squealing.