Fear not, Phil fans
By Tod Leonard

April 6, 2009, 7:35 a.m.

If Phil Mickelson's bad tournament and missed cut at the Shell Houston Open has you worried about his prospects in the Masters this week, forget about it. Phil no doubt has.

In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Mickelson wasn't exactly grinding in his second round. The wind was bad, the days looked long, and Monday play was a possiblity. Not a good way to start your week of a major, so Phil probably played out his pars, took the cut and was happy to move on and get some practice in.

Now, the San Diegan never has won a major when he missed the cut the week before, but that shouldn't matter. Momentum going into majors is way overrated. We've seen too many guys win coming off bad weeks and months, including Trevor Immelman in the Masters last year.

There is every reason to believe that Mickelson will contend this week. He has two wins after getting off to a very slow start, and with his two green jackets, few play Augusta National better. If he can keep himself out of the woods -- and ahead of Tiger Woods -- he can win.