The PGA TOUR has more than just the FedExCup format in common with NASCAR it seems. Grant Boone points out that both attract fans that like suspense, heartbreak, and drama -- oh, and spectacular crashes too.

By Grant Boone, Special to PGA.com

First off, before you read any further, I'm going to have to ask you to open your hood and let me take a look at your intake manifold.

(CAUTION: Professional writer in a closed column. Do NOT attempt to use this line at your favorite watering hole or on your best girl.)

From the day God made male and female and mandated they multiply - easily the Trinity's most superfluous command (Adam, by the way, is the last man to successfully use the intake manifold line, though Eve's options were admittedly rather limited) - humanity has wrestled with its nature, desperately trying to pinpoint various subsets into which it could divide itself.

I think I have it figured out, and, yes, this is a GMT exclusive. There are two kinds of people in the world:

1) Those who think Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is hilarious

2) Those who think it's a documentary

In NASCAR's wildest finish since Ricky Bobby outran Jean Girard to the finish line, Kevin Harvick nipped Mark Martin by a glove compartment Sunday to win the Daytona 500 while what was left of the field erupted into spontaneous breakdancing behind them. Martin fans were calling for a caution flag that would've given their man the 500. It might've been more appropriate to call the National Guard. The cars that weren't flaming, upside down, or both as they crossed the finish line were largely unidentifiable.

And those were the ones who had good weeks. Seemed like half the field had already been either suspended, fined, or publicly hung by their ball joints by NASCAR officials for circumventing league guidelines, which is a fancy way of saying "cheating." They took to heart a little too much Ricky Bobby's mantra, "If y'ain't first, you're last."

That must've been how Martin felt Sunday night as he, for the 23rd year, was left at NASCAR's most hallowed altar. But he wasn't the only one who came up short at the checkered flag. On the opposite coast, Phil Mickelson crashed and burned on the last lap at Riviera, allowing Charles Howell III to drive away with the Nissan Open.

I have a sneaking suspicion people watch NASCAR and Mickelson for the same reason: to see the wrecks.

Going for his second win in as many weeks, Mickelson got loose on the 18th tee Sunday afternoon, pushing his drive into the left rough. From there he made bogey to drop into a playoff with Howell, who after years of intense weight training is now roughly as broad as a car antenna. Then, on Playoff Hole III, Howell birdied to win his second career Tour event and slam the brakes on Mickelson's momentum.

I'll eschew the obvious automotive puns "choke" and "clutch" in describing Mickelson's debacle Sunday. (You know how I prefer subtlety.) Besides, we covered the concept of the choke a couple of weeks ago. Remember, everyone blows it at some point or another. And let's face it, that 18th hole isn't exactly a walk in the park. In fact, if you made a list of all the players who've lost at Riviera because they bogeyed the 18th, you'd find ... well, short of doing any real research, I know you'd at least find Mickelson.

Will we ever figure this guy out? Every time it appears he's about to present Tiger Woods a week-in/week-out challenge, the wheels come off.

Time for a little voluntary disclosure here: I'm a huge Phil Mickelson fan. I like almost everything I know about him. I love that he loves his wife and kids. I love that he plans his schedule around his family, rather than having his family take the scraps of his time. I love the things he's doing in his community, specifically his work in educating kids and randomly helping people in financial need.

But you have to admit, Mickelson with a one-shot lead coming down the stretch on any given Sunday is about as stable as Britney Spears after a day in rehab. Another close shave, another disappointing loss.

The last time Mickelson won an event with someone breathing down his neck was a year and a half ago at the '05 PGA. From there, he went on to win the next major, the '06 Masters, when Tiger Woods and Fred Couples combined to miss approximately 162 percent of their putts on the second nine. Then came the disaster at Winged Foot, which seemed to send Mickelson into a tailspin from which he didn't recover until a win the week before last at Pebble Beach. But again, that was a blowout with Mickelson winning by five. Like I said, I'm rooting for him. I'll just be anxious to see when he wins another close one.

He'll get a chance to gargle out the bad taste in his mouth a day earlier than usual this week with the Accenture Match Play beginning Wednesday. But Mickelson's record in that event is the pits: his best finish was a quarterfinals loss and twice he's been bounced out of the first round. It's in keeping with his puzzling and mediocre match play record as a pro. Mickelson's 9-12-4 in Ryder Cup competition and 10-12-6 in Presidents Cups in a format that would seem to reward his style of play.

Mickelson's best match play run was the 1990 U.S. Amateur, which he won during his days at Arizona State. Six months later, he became the last amateur to win a Tour event when he triumphed in Tucson where the Accenture Match Play just so happens to have moved this year, albeit at a different course, The Gallery at Dove Mountain. Coincidence? Totally. But maybe being in Tucson will restore Mickelson's mojo.

One thing's for sure: you'll be watching, and so will I, though my vantage point will be rather tropical. I'll be broadcasting Golf Channel's coverage of the LPGA Fields Open from Hawaii where Paula Creamer, who rolled in a 40-footer on the penultimate hole last week to win, goes for two in a row. Check us out 6:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. EST Thursday through Sunday. (I know what you're thinking, and the answer is "no" -- I couldn't think of a more shameless plug.) And, oh, yeah, while all that's going on, Woods will merely be trying to win his eighth consecutive Tour start.

Tiger chasing history, Mickelson swappin' paint, and women's golf in Hawaii. Yep, I guess things are just about perfect. It's makin' me feel kinda itchy. How 'bout we go get ourselves kicked out of an Applebee's?

Grant Boone is a husband, father, golf broadcaster, and sports journalist based in Abilene, Texas. His column appears on PGA.com each Wednesday and every day during major championships and other big events. He can be contacted at pgagrant@hotmail.com.

The views and opinions expressed here do not reflect those of PGA.com or The PGA of America.