Phil and Tiger: Whose game is better suited for TPC Sawgrass?

PGA TOUR

Tiger won THE PLAYERS in 2001; Phil won in 2007. Who has the better chance to win a second title this week?

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have each won a PLAYERS Championship, though their styles of play, generally speaking, are about as compatible with TPC Sawgrass as oil and water.

In other words, their propensity for being wild off the tee often leads to a real mess.

PHIL OR TIGER: Brian Wacker reveals why Phil Mickelson is better suited than Tiger Woods to win this week. Column SIX THINGS TO CONSIDER: Ryan Smithson pinpoints some areas that may determine Phil's or Tiger's fate at TPC Sawgrass. Column BY THE NUMBERS: Using the ShotLink stats since 2003, here's an inside look at how Phil and Tiger have performed on the Stadium Course. Chart IN THE SAME FIELD: Phil and Tiger have played in the same PGA TOUR event more than 170 times in their careers. Who's had the better hand? Story PAIRED TOGETHER: Here's a breakdown of the 24 times that Phil and Tiger have been paired together in the same round. Story VIDEOS: Watch the Sawgrass Stories of the world's two best players. Phil Mickelson | Tiger Woods PHOTO GALLERY: Check out this selection of photos with both Phil and Tiger in the picture. Photo Gallery VICTORY ROOM: Comprehensive coverage of each of Tiger Woods' PGA TOUR wins. Archive

These days, Woods is the one who has been off his game, so much so that he enters this week's PLAYERS after missing just the sixth cut of his career and his worst round in the U.S. as a professional, a 79, at last week's Quail Hollow Championship.

Mickelson, on the other hand, won his second Masters two starts ago and is coming off a second-place finish at Quail Hollow. Unlike Woods, he'll tee off Thursday at the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course with plenty of momentum.

Neither player, however, has more than one top-10 finish at THE PLAYERS Championship in the last five years. Of course, Mickelson's was a victory in 2007 (thanks, in part, to Sean O'Hair). Woods last won at TPC Sawgrass in 2001, though he was just two off the lead with nine holes to play a year ago before finishing eighth.

As usual, the game's top two players dominate the spotlight heading into the first round. And so, the question becomes: Whose game is better suited to win THE PLAYERS Championship?

Look at the list of recent past champions, excluding Woods and Mickelson: Henrik Stenson, Sergio Garcia, Stephen Ames, Fred Funk, Adam Scott, Davis Love, Craig Perks, Hal Sutton.

See much in common with those guys and Woods? How about Mickelson? If there's one thing THE PLAYERS Championship is, it's predictably unpredictable.

That means you can't compare Woods' and Mickelson's games to the course, but rather to each others -- and lately there's been no comparison with Mickelson dominating the rivalry between the world's top two players.

Still, the best way to see how Woods and Mickelson stack up is a tale of the tape.

• Driving: Woods is hitting the fairway a "whopping" 51 percent. Mickelson? He's actually worse, finding the short grass just 48 percent of the time. Obviously, neither one of those numbers is good. The rough is down slightly after a cold winter in Ponte Vedra, so missing the fairway might not hurt as much as it did in the past, but both of these guys have had trouble with the big stick. Advantage: Push

• Ball-striking: Both players are fantastic with their irons, but we've seen a lot of rust from Woods in this area so far. Mickelson is hitting about 4 percent more greens in regulation, though it certainly feels like a lot more than that lately. Mickelson, though, said he's hitting his irons 10-15 yards longer than expected, noting after Sunday's round at Quail Hollow that "it was constantly surprising me how many times I was going long, and so that's something that I'll have to work on." Even so, he's more dialed in than Woods right now. Advantage: Mickelson

• Putting: In any other year, Woods would win this one going away. Simply put, he's one of the best putters in the history of the sport. Lately? Not so much. Neither player has made much from beyond 10 feet and that could be a problem at TPC Sawgrass, where if you're ball-striking isn't precise, you're going to face a lot of testy putts. Advantage: Push

• Short game: The one thing that hasn't been talked about much -- at least not yet -- is how Woods seems to be struggling around the green. Maybe he's adjusting to the new grooves rule, or maybe he just hasn't put in enough reps, but his wedge play hasn't been crisp. Or, as he put it after that 79 on Friday, "My short game was terrible." Mickelson, on the other hand, remains one of the best short-game players ever. Advantage: Mickelson

• The "It" Factor: Call it the intangibles if you want, but no one is better at getting more out of his game than Woods, especially when it's not at its best. He turns bogeys into pars better than anyone on TOUR, while Mickelson sometimes turns pars into bogeys. Advantage: Woods

Add it all up and the advantage, albeit slightly, goes to Mickelson. Not only has he won THE PLAYERS Championship more recently, he's certainly playing much better right now and that may be the biggest advantage he has over Woods.

"THE PLAYERS is a really big event," Mickelson said. "It's one that we all would like to play well, and fortunately my game is really close. Some adjustments here or there, and hopefully I should be able to get in contention again on Sunday."