GOLF: Once Phil Mickelson is around, the capacity for fireworks, or a form of self-combustion, is always more of a probability than a possibility. The timing of the World Cup in Mexico was deeply flawed, and many of the world's top players stayed away, but the meltdown suffered by the United States - with Mickelson at its core - provided as intriguing a finish to a golf tournament as there has been all season. Philip Reid, reports.

So Japan won, and took the $1 million top prize - giving Shigeki Maruyama a bigger reason than usual to sport his grin and his partner Toshi Izawa simply a reason to smile - but it was the manner in which the US blew their lead that yet again raised a question mark over Mickelson's ability to close out a tournament when things get hot and a cool head is required.

Those who feel that Mickelson has a soft-centre have been given more ammunition to fire at him.

In the Ryder Cup in September, Mickelson, ranked two in the world, lost to Phillip Price, then ranked 119th, in the final day singles and his misery on the final round of numerous major championships has recurred time and time again. Indeed, the occurrences have been sufficiently frequent to indicate there is something missing in his armoury when the tough question is asked.

On Sunday, on a resort course at Puero Vallarta in Mexico, and without the pressures associated with a Ryder Cup or a major, Mickelson's propensity for producing the dramatic surfaced again as he snap-hooked his drive on the 18th hole. That errant drive was effectively the difference in winning and losing the World Cup.

What happened was this. The US team of Mickelson and David Toms had a two-stroke lead over Japan with four holes to play. The Americans had gone 71 holes without dropping a shot which, in a format that included two rounds of foursomes, was a considerable achievement. However, off that final tee, Mickelson pulled his drive into rough, and finished up behind a tree.

In trying to manufacture his approach shot, Toms overcooked his recovery - "I just hit a bad shot. I had 130 yards to the front and, with a six-iron, I couldn't get it over the tree and just pulled it. I was trying to keep the face open so it wouldn't go left and, looking back, I should have hit a sand-wedge over the tree. I didn't think the shot through," he admitted - and it ran tantalisingly along the hazard line until settling behind a rock for an unplayable lie.

A penalty, pitch and two putts later, the Americans signed for a double-bogey.

Meanwhile, behind them, the Japanese pairing of Maruyama and Izawa birdied both the 16th and 17th holes and then parred the last for a winning total of 36-under-par, two ahead of the Americans, with Korea and England a further four shots back in tied-third.

Ireland's Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley finished in tied-eighth, sharing $75,000.

Mickelson's latest woe, however, won't occupy his mind through the winter break. Just as he said he had never given the loss to Price a second thought, he insisted that this latest mishap would be forgotten about very quickly.

Ireland's challenge never really got off the ground. "You have to get the breaks and hole the putts," explained Harrington, "and things have got to go for you in this type of format. We were reasonable without being exceptional. We didn't make eagles or do anything exceptional and certainly didn't hole enough putts."

McGinley added: "It was one of those weeks when we played really well without doing anything special. If you're going to win, you have to do something special. Sometimes you play well and nothing happens . . . and this was one of those weeks."

Nevertheless, it represented the fifth time in the last six appearances in the World Cup that the Harrington-McGinley combination captured a top-10 finish.

However, there is no guarantee the partnership will be kept intact for next year's World Cup, which takes place at Kiawah Island - scene of their victory in 1997 - next November, four weeks earlier than this year's staging which should ensure a better field. Under the qualifying rules, the two highest-ranked players in world form the team and it was only Darren Clarke's decision not to play this time round that enabled the two Dubliners to play together.

Clarke may well decide to play next year and, even if he doesn't, then the emergence of Graeme McDowell - who has climbed from 1,202nd in the world a year ago to his current position of 188th - could yet mean an end to that particular partnership, unless McGinley can stop his decline (he has fallen from 35th a year ago to 102nd) and climb back up the rankings.

Another of those who stayed away from the World Cup was world number one Tiger Woods, who instead used the time to undergo "arthroscopic surgery" to remove fluid inside and outside the anterior cruciate ligament on his left knee. Benign cysts were also removed. Woods had surgery on the same knee in 1994 to remove a benign tumour.

The operation means Woods will miss the season-opening Mercedes Championship on the US Tour.

"I had been playing in pain for much of the year and felt it was time to take care of it," said Woods, who has had only minor injuries since turning professional in 1996.

He sprained ligaments in his left knee at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am last year when a fan accidentally tripped him while trying to get an autograph and had a sore Achilles tendon in last year's US Open.

Woods is expected to make a full recovery and commence his season at the Buick Invitational in February.