LOS ANGELES – And now this week’s distillation of the PGA Tour: Phil is here, and Tiger isn’t.

Here being the Northern Trust Open, which used to be called the Los Angeles Open. Here being Riviera Country Club.

A lot of Hollywood in the history of Riviera. A lot of Hollywood is in pro golf, in every sport.

Movies became successful not because of acting, but because of actors and actresses. People weren’t interested in Shakespeare, but in Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe.

The way people are interested in Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

Exhibit A: Sunday up the coast, the final round of the AT&T Pebble Beach, when Tiger and Phil were paired and the CBS TV ratings were the highest in years.

Stars. Attractions. Heroes. Villains. That’s what made Hollywood. That’s what makes the PGA Tour. That’s what makes every sport.

Barry Bonds. Bobble-head dolls. Manny Ramirez. Alex Rodriguez, items guaranteed to fill a few seats.

The diamond entrepreneur, Bill Veeck (As in Wreck), who once sent a midget to the plate in a major league game, had a reason for his gimmicks and promotions.

“If you had to depend only on baseball fans for your support,’’ said Veeck, “you’d be out of business by Mother’s Day.’’

A great many fine golfers on Tour, in the Northern Trust, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, Aaron Baddeley. They are spear carriers, role players. Golf is Tiger and Phil, mostly Tiger.

Is that proper? Not at all, but it’s reality. The commissioner, Tim Finchem, does his best to sell new faces, to make us pay attention to Keegan Bradley or Rickie Fowler, and we keep reverting to the old ones, to Tiger and Phil.

This is the dialogue: America no longer is enamored with Tiger Woods. Debatable. Whatever, it remains fascinated by Tiger Woods. Especially when he’s getting thrashed by Mickelson.

Our world never gets boring. If it’s not Novak Djokovic defeating Rafael Nadal in an Australian Open tennis final which lasts nearly a full six hours, it’s Eli Manning bringing the New York Giants from behind to win another Super Bowl. If it’s not Jeremy Lin taking New York and the NBA by storm, it’s Phil Mickelson taking the AT&T in a rout. Over Tiger Woods.

Great theater, up there on the Monterey Peninsula, a drama mostly likely never to be seen again, given the circumstances, to which good fortune played a part.

If Mickelson doesn’t birdie the 17th hole, the tricky par-3 with the hourglass green at Pebble, on Saturday, he doesn’t finish at 9-under-par 205 for 54 holes and isn’t paired with Woods the last round.

And if he isn’t paired with Tiger, perhaps Mickelson doesn’t get the inspiration he says is his when going head-to-head with Woods.

The week after the Super Bowl, golf has its super game, CBS has its super ratings and Phil Mickelson has a dominating victory.

“He seems to bring out the best in me,’’ Mickelson said of facing Woods. Phil and Tiger certainly brought out the best in golf, a sport dependent as much on personality as on results.

What if the third-round leader, Charlie Wi, the Cal kid, had hung on to win, instead of 4-putting the first hole of the final round and then rallying to finish second? Shrugs, that’s what. And congratulations.

But not near hysteria. Not the best TV viewer ratings average in 23 years.

Not Mickelson telling us the doubts he had about his game were swept away. Not Mickelson telling us Tiger hit the ball well, and despite his 3-over-par 75 – compared to Phil’s 64 – is making progress.

“You could tell his game is really close,’’ Mickelson said of Tiger, who still has yet to put together four solid rounds, tee to green, in any event.

Woods remains winless in a full-field Tour event in the United States since September 2009 (he did win the 18-player Chevron World in December), and is no less a story for that void which surely will fill as for everything else, including his play in the final round at the AT&T.

Golf needs Tiger to play well. Golf needs Phil to play well.

Golf needs them together, but this week they are apart. The week after, the Accenture World Match Play when Woods enters and Mickelson does not, they also will be apart.

“I love playing with him, and he brings out some of my best golf,’’ Mickelson said of a rivalry neither chooses to call a rivalry.

“I hope that he continues to play better and better, and I hope that he and I have a chance to play together more in final rounds.’’

Mickelson is not alone.