Golf Events / Romilly Evans / 13 November 2011 /

Romilly Evans looks at this week's Presidents Cup, where he expects Tiger and Phil to scupper rumours of their recent demise

The American challenge at Royal Melbourne for this week's renewal of the Presidents Cup is a strong one. No doubt about it - just take the [1.94] to back about them on Betfair. But it as strong as in recent history (the Internationals haven't prevailed in this biennial battle since 1998)? Well, in this question, the doubts start to materialise. And a look down the roster of those who have qualified for the 2011 team leaves you asking: where are the world-beaters?

The truth is that most of them don't reside on the international team either. Rather they're in Europe, which currently holds the world's top four players, with a legion on likely lads from the same continent massing around the top ten. This seismic shift in golf's balance of power, certainly away from the US, is largely because of the down-grading of two legends of the game.

Titanic talismen don't come any bigger than Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson - two golfers who have dominated the game for nearly a decade with 110 PGA Tour wins and 18 major victories between them. Woods, of course, owns the lion's share of those accolades, but Mickelson only made the mistake of being born at the wrong time. Indeed, Lefty's tally of four majors and 39 wins on home soil is only a disappointing return considering his awesome natural ability. Butch Harman, who has coached both players, sets them apart among recent generations in terms of raw talent. Woods' striking symphonies made him Mozart, Mickeslon had to make do with the cliffhanger crescendos of Salieri.

However, the truth is (without stretching the metaphor past breaking point) that neither man has been composing much sweet music of late.

While Tiger's travails on and off the course have been well-documented, Phil's confrontation with family illness (both his wife and his mother fought cancer) and physical battles of his own have often been overlooked. Diagnosed with arthritis in his hands (not the best place for a golfer), the World No.11 understandably prioritised his personal life over his professional one and opted for a reduced schedule. Now able to manage his ailing joints, he has re-emerged and got back to playing consistent competitive golf (most notably finishing second at this year's Open).

For his part, Tiger has been desperately trying to convince a fickle media that his best days aren't behind him. The stats were there for all to see: no win in two years and a ranking which had plummeted outside the top 50. However, the green shoots of recovery he'd been promising finally showed themselves last Sunday at the Australian Open. Woods finished third against a stellar field, fighting off a balky putter in round three to produce a spectacular final-round 67 to come up two shots shy of Greg Chalmers.

Robert Allenby, the Aussie veteran who, like Woods, is a wildcard pick for the Presidents Cup, looked on in admiration and a little trepidation at what was to come the Internationals' way this week.

"Probably in the last six months, that's the best I've seen him play," Allenby said.

"I've seen him at his absolute best ... that was another human being. But he's on his way back, and he's ready to win."

As Woods' friend and occasional practice partner, he should know.

So surely we shouldn't be talking in the past tense here about America's stars in the stripes. At 35 and 41 respectively, Woods and even Mickelson could yet halt their slide, now their respective worlds are back on an even keel. The wonders of modern technology (both in golf equipment and medical treatment) will also aid their ascent back up the mountain. And where better to reassert themselves than at Royal Melbourne under the tutelage of captain Fred Couples?

Couples is close to both men and looks likely to rely heavily on their records and experience. Factor in the niggling injury concerns for two of their higher-ranked teammates (Steve Stricker and Hunter Mahan) and that likelihood rates closer to a certainty. So consider both Woods and Mickelson for Top Points Scorer honours, both overall and for the US, when more liquidity emerges.

Remember, Tiger he won all five of his matches in 2009. Of course, a lot's changed since then. But as his Australian Open performance hinted, anyone backing Tiger - or for that matter Phil - to drop off the face of Planet Golf anytime soon, might like to take a refresher course on the movement of tectonic plates. Sure, big players like Asia and America can be budged by continental drift. But these things take time.

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