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Phil Mickelson really is “Phil the Thrill,’’ especially in the big eye of CBS. At least you would think so after David Feherty gushingly glossed over Lefty’s calculated “lay-up’’ on the last hole in San Diego, thus literally handing the Farmers Insurance Open to one Bubba Watson on Sunday.

Knowing it was elementary, that he needed to make eagle 3 to tie Doctor Watson, and from just a little over 220 yards out, no less, Phil seemed to chicken out and ended up bumping two wedges to within 4 feet of the cup for a worthless birdie. It was almost comical as his caddie, Jim Mackay, tended the pin for Phil from a little over 70 yards out on the critical shot, like the Mickster was going to hole out or something!

And this from a guy who won last year’s Masters with a gut-check 4-iron from out of the pines on the final hole of Amen Corner! It makes Sunday’s submissive strategy against Watson even harder to fathom.

Not that Feherty ever stopped golly-geeing about Mickelson’s magic and how he keeps it exciting until the very end. Thank goodness there are still a few newspaper reporters in the media, and a very good one at the San Diego Union-Tribune in Tod Leonard.

Asked about his rationale for not letting Watson putt out so he would know exactly what to do at the final hole in question, Mickelson flipped the inquiry around and praised Watson. It’s called a misdirection answer, a common counter move often used by the pros.

“Bubba played too good,’’ he said of Watson’s closing, 5-under 67 that got the Scottsdale resident to 16 under, or one shot in front of Mickelson, the “homey’’ from nearby Rancho Santa Fe who closed with a 69.

“He made shot after shot, putt after putt. It was a wonderful round for him.’’

He’s right, Bubba was true to his nature as he aggressively swung away and never bagged his driver till he pulled out of the parking lot at Torrey. In the meantime, Mickelson had been playing conservative golf even before Sunday’s final round unraveled, a move that had been supported for the most part by the CBS crew, which partially explained the no-call at the end.

Asked his reasoning for screaming “Uncle’’ on his third shot at 18, Lefty replied: “I had 227 (yards) to carry (the water). If I hit a hybrid, the ball would have come out dead, so I wouldn’t have made it over the water. But the way my 3-iron is, the ball would have come out and went screaming over (the green).’’

Believe it or not, and despite the staggering odds against it, Mickelson argued that his best bet was to lay up and then try to hole his 64-degree wedge from a mere 72 yards out. Asked when the last time “Bones,’’ as Mackay is known, was asked to tend a pin on a shot from the fairway, Mickelson didn’t duck the hard ball that grazed his chin.

“Well, (the shot) is going to have a chance,’’ he countered. “About 10, 12, 14 times a year, I hit the pin.’’

And the odds of that happening on the 72nd hole at tenacious Torrey Pines in the final round of a PGA tournament with over $1 million on the line?

“I’m not sure,’’ he said of the one-in-a-million prayer. “Obviously, you need to hit a great shot and you need some luck.  I’m not naïve on that. I get it.’’

Apparently not, Lefty. The guys at CBS might have been “oohing and aahing’’ like they usually do when it comes to Mickelson’s incredible repertoire of shots, but the rest of us weren’t buying the white flag this time around.

The only thing I can say for Mickelson: At least he’s honest. Like when somebody asked him if he was feeling the sting of defeat more than the positive vibes he got from his runner-up finish, there was a moment of clarity.

“Little of both. You want me to elaborate,’’ he said, clearing the intense air with a few laughs from his media-laden gallery.

“I’m disappointed because I wanted to start the year off with a win,’’ he said. “I wanted to get some momentum early on the West Cast. But on the other hand, I played really good golf and gave myself an opportunity. I played well on Sunday and had a good tournament. I’ll use this as a springboard for next week.’’

That’s what’s weird: I believe that’s exactly what he’ll do. Even though with Phil you never really know for sure, I think his third win at the TPC Scottsdale this week, which would mark three different decades as a champion here, is just a shout away.

The field isn’t overly fierce, with only four players in the top 20 of the world rankings, and only 18 in the top 50. Besides, Phil’s the only guy in the top 10 (No. 5) even if defending champ Hunter Mahan, rookie Jhonattan Vegas, bomber Dustin Johnson and Bubba all look like they’re playing brilliantly as they make their way to Scottsdale.

Yes, this Phoenix Open looks like it’s shaping up nicely to turn out as yet another left-handed compliment. Having lived in the Valley during the 1990s and hung out plenty over the past 10 years at Grayhawk and Whisper Rock, this certainly is familiar territory for the Thrill.

The only question that lingers: Has Mickelson recovered from that one-hole knockout delivered by J.B. Holmes three years ago at the Phoenix Open? You remember the haymaker, when Holmes belted a monster drive on the 18th hole and made birdie while Mickelson bunted a fairway wood down the middle for and ensuing par, another conservative move that turned out to be sudden death.

Which was, basically, what Phil avoided Sunday when he got it over early and secured second place. Hey, we love Phil just like everybody else, but you have to call a spade a spade, especially when it digs its own hole.

As soon as Arizona hosts the Waste Management Phoenix Open (Feb. 3-6) in Scottsdale followed by the WGC-Accenture World Match Play Championship (Feb. 23-27) in Tucson, professional golf in the desert as we know it will take a huge twist with the all-new RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup in Phoenix (March 18-20).

Earlier this month, LPGA Commissioner Michael Whan announced that the Founders Cup would bring the women’s game back to the Valley of the Sun after a one-year absence. The tournament, Whan informed us, would honor the original 13 Founders of the LPGA, which dates back to 1950, and that the charity for the event will be the LPGA-USGA Girls Clubs.

Oh, yes, and there would be a $1.3 million “mock’’ purse, meaning none of the players would get paid to play at Wildfire’s Faldo Golf Course, although expenses and rooms at the adjacent J.W. Marriott Resort & Spa would be picked up for players and caddies.

At the time of Whan’s announcement, he was asked how the players would react to basically teeing it up for “free’’? Being a professional spin doctor, the always-energetic Whan said his legions gave him a standing ovation when he first brought up the unique format last summer during a players’ meeting. And, yes, the top players will all be in Phoenix this spring, he promised.

Now, in the aftermath of his eloquent gesture, there are those who are questioning Whan’s idea even if some – well, the vast majority –don’t want to go on the record. Seriously, what player would speak out against a charity or the tradition established by the original 13 Founders, “to leave the game better than they found it’’? No, this is a head-scratcher where almost everybody will fall in line silently but totally perplexed.

Kristy McPherson, who is in that elite player category, did tell Golfweek that she doesn’t mind the idea of giving the purse back to charity, as long as she gets a little say in what charity gets the dough. Annika Sorenstam, the retired legend who still gets asked her opinion whenever possible, had this to say when Golfweek asked if she was supportive of the plan: “Not every decision requires 100 percent approval’’ of the LPGA council.

So whether or not this move to add a “mock’’ purse to Phoenix is a good one remains to be seen. Chances are the players would have been a lot more supportive had the LPGA added a few more tournaments to the schedule for 2011. As it stands, the LPGA lost two events from 2010 and gained three for this season, although it ended up being a “push’’ considering the players won’t get paid for the new Phoenix event.

If I was a player, I certainly would not be impressed with what Whan has planned for 2011. Prize money is flat at $44 million, the average purse is $1.75 million, and only 13 of the 25-tournament schedule will be played here in the U.S., meaning travel expenses continue to rise. By comparison, the PGA Tour’s war chest this year is $288 million with an average purse of $6 million.

Breaking it down a little further, only 70 players made $100,000 or more last year on the LPGA, with only eight topping $1 million. On the PGA Tour side of the ledger, 207 players earned more that $100,000 with 90 eclipsing $1 million. And, by the way, it takes about $100,000 a year just for a player’s expenses.

Of course, LPGA players won’t have to worry about expenses in Phoenix, as it’s one of the perks, along with “official money’’ (an odd phrase since there isn’t any) and Rolex player of the year points. The top three Founders finishers (who haven’t previously qualified) also will get into another new tournament, the Countdown to the Titleholders, a season-ending event that will feature the LPGA’s richest first prize — $500,000. Again, by comparison, most of the PGA Tour’s 40-some tournaments pay out $1 million or more.

So the question becomes: is the timing for the Founders Cup and its “mock’’ purse way off base? And is this just a band-aid to take away the “ouch’’ for the players as well as Phoenix?

You see, there are other things that will make the Founders Cup way different than anything else ever before seen in the desert. Like it’s probably going to be here for only one year. That’s right, the title sponsor, RR Donnelley, a printing and digital solutions company based back East, would like to move the tournament to where most of its employees and there families are located, chiefly in New York and Pennsylvania.

Even though Whan said there is some “flexibility’’ in when and if the tournament is moved, it apparently is one year and out with high hopes of attracting yet another title sponsor for yet another new LPGA tournament in Phoenix. The hope is that if we do get another corporate entity to cough up some bucks– this would be the ninth different LPGA tournament in the Valley dating back to the Sun City Classic in 1980 – we get a “real’’ purse and it’s lucrative.

Hey, the hard-working women of the LPGA deserve it. And for that matter, so do the golf fans that live in Arizona.

Nice move by Mike McQuaid and the Thunderbirds, giving the first of five sponsor’s exemptions into the Waste Management Phoenix Open to local pro Tom Lehman, the 2000 champ. Too bad everything can’t go so “green’’ for McQuaid, the tournament chairman for the WMPO, which tees off Feb. 3-6 at the TPC Scottsdale. Actually, the T-birds never can grumble because Waste Management has literally dumped $25 million into their bank account, a recycled load of the green stuff that won’t run out until 2014. That, and the Birds know that they’ve got the largest crowds in golf as well as the game’s best “special events,’’ like the Fenway Park-like 16th hole and the infamous Birds’ Nest, the No. 1 meat market in Scottsdale, hands down.

But outside of Phil Mickelson, the former Arizona State star who sits No. 4 in the world, and Rickie Fowler, the mop-top kid who was last season’s top rookie – who both have already committed – the 132-man field isn’t going get much better from a world rankings standpoint. Yeah, defending champ Hunter Mahan will be there, but outside of Mahan, who is No. 19, who else from the official top 20?

Not Lee Westwood or Tiger Woods or Martin Kaymer, the Nos. 1-3, respectively, although Kaymer does live in Paradise Valley. Kaymer did play here last year but that was before the big German won the PGA Championship and began playing a schedule that is predominantly world-wide.

Not Graeme McDowell, Jim Furyk, Steve Stricker or Paul Casey, the Nos. 5-8 even if Casey lives about 20 minutes from the TPC. Of that group, Casey is the biggest “why not?’’ although most of the Brits will tell you the reason is because the former Arizona State star is a “baby.’’ That’s their word not mine, according to his former Ryder Cup teammates. And true to form, Casey doesn’t like the raucous nature of the WMPO.

Then you go from No. 9 through No. 12 – Luke Donald, Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter and Ernie Els – and those players aren’t going to happen. Same with No. 13 Matt Kuchar, Retief Goosen, Dustin Johnson, Francesco Molinari, Robert Karlsson, Eduardo Molinari and Robert Allenby (Nos. 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 20). Most of those guys are in Qatar or Dubai this time of year along with Westwood and Woods.

So out of the top 20 in the world, the Waste Management probably is going to have to settle for Mickelson and Mahan, and Fowler at No. 28. I don’t remember such an unstar-studded field since the tournament moved to Scottsdale. (Can you say happy 25th birthday?) By comparison, last year’s tournament had six players in the top 20 – Mickelson, Kaymer, Vijay Singh, Camillo Villegas, Ian Poulter and Geoff Ogilvy. Of course, that Phoenix Open preceded (for one year only) the prestigious WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, so call that a “jaded’’ high point.

Blame some of this year’s lack of a big marquee on the foreign factor, as 13 of the top 20 players in the world are from other countries besides the USofA. But blame more of it on the fact there are a lot of mega-purses out there on golf’s big-money stage, as 17 tournaments now have purses that are $6.5 million or greater – 14 over $7 million. Such numbers make the WMPO’s look paltry at $6.1 million, especially when compared to Tucson’s $8.5 million.

Granted, the Phoenix Open is more than just the field, as great weather in Scottsdale on Super Bowl weekend is hard to beat, so people will be somewhat satisfied with that. And the tournament has raised more than $4 million for charity the past two years in a difficult economic climate, and that’s certainly a good thing, too.

Still, when will the Phoenix Open return to the glory days, when the best players always showed up in Scottsdale and before that at Phoenix Country Club? Seriously, it’s been more than a little while since the Phoenix Open field glittered like diamonds, or to be precise, way back to 2001 when Woods waved good-bye.

It seems like the only real solution(s) to raise the Phoenix Open is to jack the purse by at least a million bucks or get Waste Management to ink Tiger to a long-term deal. If I’m making that decision, the Woods option – tarnished image or no tarnished image — seems like a “gimme.’’