Jim McCabe

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. - What worked down here in the shadows of the Palace That Tiger Built (that would be the sprawling $35 million clubhouse at TPC Sawgrass) didn’t work a week earlier in Charlotte, N.C.

Using his hybrid to hit his golf ball out of rough? Phil Mickelson pulled it off magnificently to set up a crucial birdie at the par-5 11th hole, which in turn paved the way for his rewarding payday at The Players Championship. And thus is the golf world aflutter with the juicy possibilities now that the Mickelson association with Butch Harmon has produced such a significant win so quickly.

But hold on, Bogey Breath, before you rush off to the betting parlors to lay down some cash on Mickelson at next month’s U.S. Open.

Think back, instead, to a week ago and Round 3 at the Wachovia Championship. It was played at the Quail Hollow Club, which is tougher than the Stadium Course at Sawgrass and more in line with what the lads will face at rugged Oakmont next month. Mickelson was in the middle of things late Saturday when he pushed his drive well right, up on a hill in thick rough.

A conservative layup and he possibly makes par to settle in at 9-under, just two behind, but more than likely he does no worse than bogey. But, no. Mickelson chose to try and chase his ball down the fairway with a hybrid, an aggressive move and one that led to a double-bogey, for it scooted into a creek. He fell four behind and wasn’t a factor Sunday.

One week silly, the next week champion. What a game, this golf.

The fact is, the common denominator to both of these shots was not so much Harmon’s coaching as it was Mickelson’s thinking. Harmon has with his no-nonsense approach already told the left-hander stuff that has made an impact. “He’s bought into the process,” said the heralded instructor as he stood near the party celebration Sunday at TPC Sawgrass.

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But even Harmon conceded that when it comes to course-management and making shot selections, well, Mickelson’s his own man. “He’s told me that, too,” said Harmon, laughing.

So even though the Harmon philosophy and the Harmon lessons were with Mickelson at both Quail Hollow and TPC Sawgrass, two distinctly different results were produced. A gamble of a shot helped ruin his chances in Charlotte; a similar risk paid off at the Players.

“I wasn’t worried about it. I mean, the lie was fine,” said Mickelson, when asked about the hybrid out of rough to the right of the 11th fairway at a time when he was clinging to a one-stroke lead over Sean O’Hair. The aggressive play set up a short wedge, which Mickelson converted into his final birdie of the day and a two-shot edge.

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Game, set, match? It sure felt that way, for Mickelson was swinging it beautifully and he showed on a few occasions coming home on the back nine — the fairway-splitting drives at Nos. 14, 15, and 16 — that Harmon’s call for a tighter, more controlled swing will pay dividends.

Now, will it pay off in a major championship and his first U.S. Open, next month at Oakmont? Only time will tell, but it’s important to keep the student-coach relationship in perspective.

Harmon can tell Mickelson dozens of great swing thoughts or show him the proper path to be on and the left-hander can easily put that to use in competition, but if he makes even one poor decision — and let’s not forget the high-risk iron shot he worked out of a bunker in Saturday’s Players Championship, the one he wouldn’t even tell his caddie about — a good round can be ruined in a hurry.

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