When you come to think of it that is the secret of most of the great holes all over the world. They all have some kind of a twist. C.B. MACDONALD
Now, I don't doubt that he puts an amazing amount of energy into the majors. But tell me again why this FedEx Cup playoffs thing is going to work when players like Mickelson are spent after the PGA Championship? Is he really going to play 6 of the next 7 weeks?
Defending PGA Champion Phil Mickelson had some fun with certain questions from the assembled scribblers.
Q. Obviously you use the week before majors to prepare. How disappointing was it last week to miss the cut, and has that affected your preparation for this week?He actually took this question seriously, which provides an interesting contrast to Tiger's comments about hitting a lot of 3-woods and 2-irons:
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, it's a different strategy going in. You know, I guess here's a great example of how Tiger and I prepare differently. He goes into the PGA Championship thinking that winning the British and winning the Buick Open is the best way, and I go in thinking that missing the cut is the best (laughter), and it gives me a week off to focus on my game. See, he didn't have that weekend off (laughter).
Q. What's your plan as far as what you're going to hit off the tee this week?Back to comedy hour.
PHIL MICKELSON: That's still undecided exactly, because I may go with two drivers again like I did at Augusta, I may go with one.
Really, the difference is the temperature. If it's warm enough where I can hit 3 wood on some of the other par 4s where I just want to get the ball in the fairway, then I will most likely just use one driver, and it would be the longer driver to take advantage of some of the par 5s and the long par 4s.
Medinah is such a long golf course that the extra length has come in handy.
Q. If our research is correct, you and Tiger played together a grand total of one time in the majors, and that was at The Masters in '01, so Thursday and Friday will be kind of a rarity.
PHIL MICKELSON: It's amazing how those random computer pairings spit that stuff out, huh?
And as with Tiger's press conference, the longer it went, the worse the questions got.
Q. There are ten left handers on Tour this year. Do you have any thoughts on the factors that have led to more success for lefties than ever before?
PHIL MICKELSON: Yeah, that's a good question. I could try to make a joke of it, but I just don't have one (laughter). I think it's great. I think that it's nice that we have more on Tour because now we're getting more equipment opportunities on Tour, which is ultimately leading to more left handed equipment or better left handed equipment immediately to the consumer, as well. I think if we can keep that up and have equipment be accessible to everyone left handed, I think we might continue to see an increase. But it takes time, like anything.
And the finale...
Q. Not to harp on the pairings, but what's the difference for you playing with a guy like Freddie like at The Masters versus a guy like Tiger?
PHIL MICKELSON: Amount of conversation.
"When Phil's at his best, I'm thinking nobody can beat him," Pelz said.
Does Pelz's bold pronouncement include a certain player who has won 50 PGA Tour titles and 11 majors?
"You bet it does," Pelz said. "If Phil's long swing is good, his short game, I believe, is the best in the world. He doesn't have a serious weakness inside 150 yards.
"I'm not saying Tiger's short game is bad. He has a great short game. But I think Phil putts more consistently than Tiger does. He has more imagination and a few more shots around the green."
Pelz adds one caveat.
"The question is, how often is Phil on his best game?" he said.
Ed Sherman reports on Phil Mickelson's quest to find some semblance of design character at Medinah. Accompanying Phil were his caddy, dad and of course, senior advisor to The People's Champion, Dave Pelz.
"They broke down every green complex," [Medinah Head Pro Mike] Scully said. "They looked at every possible putt, and every possible chip or bunker shot. Then he practiced those shots. He studies it hard. It was very impressive."
Here is the San Diego Union Tribune's Nick Canepa on Phil's latest photo op charitable foundation event.
Meanwhile, thanks to reader Chuck for the head's up on the latest infomercial debuting Saturday on CBS, and hopefully not coming to a DVD anytime soon. From PGATour.com:
Humble in nature and quick to deflect praise and attention, Mickelson himself would point to the personal and professional support network that has helped him achieve his lofty status. “The People’s Champion” will talk with each of the people who have played such a pivotal role in his success story.Just making sure you were still reading.
Amy Mickelson. Phil’s dedication to his game is perhaps equaled only by the dedication to their charitable foundation. We’ll find out where their energies have been most pointedly directed and which charities the foundation will target throughout 2006.
Rick Smith and Dave Pelz. Both of these men have helped shape the game that has developed into the most complete on the PGA TOUR. We’ll watch one of their many practice sessions and study the unique approach to refining Phil’s world class skills.
We'll also see the two legendary teachers fight for the co-pilot's seat when Phil takes the wheel of his jet as cameras roll.
Jim McKay. Balancing the dynamics of a relationship that is both personal and professional is never easy. No one can argue with these results. “Bones” has been by Phil’s side for 15 years, sharing the joy and the pain. We’ll watch and listen as they work together in their office; the range.Again, just wanted to see if you were reading. Because now you have to read carefully.
Steve Loy. Phil’s former golf coach at Arizona State was on the bag in Tucson in 1991; the first of 29 PGA TOUR victories. He’ll offer a first hand account of the two-decade progression from college freshman to two-time Masters champion, and for the first time ever, will take off his sunglasses as cameras roll.
Without any special access, “The People’s Champion” will also document, in a behind-the-scenes style, the week of the U.S. Open as Mickelson chases his third consecutive major championship at Winged Foot Golf Club amid the electrified atmosphere that can only be generated by his passionate New York fans.
That's right, they are touting the fact that they did NOT get special access! Gee, makes you just want to run to the TiVo!
Interspersed within the show will also be footage and interviews already gathered, describing Phil’s introduction to the game in Southern California. We’ll hear stories from Phil, his dad and those in the San Diego area who saw his enormous potential at a very young age.
Produced by PGA TOUR Productions, “Phil Mickelson, The People’s Champion” airs Sat., Aug. 12 at 1:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports.
See, the PGA Tour doesn't consult Mark Steinberg on everything they do.
AP's Doug Ferguson says that Tim Finchem is not entirely to blame for the changes in Chicago and Washington D.C.
Finchem was a convenient target, the czar behind these changes aimed at making the golf season shorter and more interesting.
But it's not all his fault.
If anyone has complaints, look no further than Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. They were the catalysts who first started barking about the PGA Tour season being too long. All the commissioner did was respond to his two biggest stars.
Heres what Phil Mickelson had to say about his club selection on 18 at Winged Foot while meeting with da medja in Chicago:
Fortunately what I have found has helped me play well or have that type of performances these past years in the majors is that I've done the prep work beforehand and I know what club selection I'm going to hit off each tee, given weather conditions, whether it's raining, whether it's hot or not. I already know and have known for weeks in advance what clubs I'm got to hit off each tee, so it's helped me approach the tee box with confidence knowing what club I'm going to hit.
It helped me when I hit the driver on 18 at Baltusrol on the last hole and ended up making a birdie. It helped me at The Masters knowing what club and what driver I was going to hit off each tee, and it helped me at the U.S. Open. Unfortunately I didn't execute the way I wanted to.
But it has erased a lot of the doubt as to the decision-making, what club am I going to hit, what club should I hit. I already know weeks in advance, and it helps me hit those shots and visualize those shots in practice before I ever show up the week of The Open.
Now, we have debated Phil's two-driver concept at Augusta here and here and here.
But I'm wondering if his ability to select clubs in advance says something about the state of the game.
This is not a technology question, but I believe one about the state of course setup and course design.
Is there something wrong with setups and designs when a player of his magnitude (and others like him) know what they will be hitting on holes well in advance of tournament time?
Or to put it another way, is the golf more interesting and testing if the design and setup create decision-making situations that can not be made in advance?
Wind and the player's philosophy play a role in this, but isn't there something seriously wrong when some spontaneity is missing from the major championship equation?
I was both elated and troubled by Mike Davis's decision to announce the alternating of tees during the U.S. Open. Elated that he was doing it, troubled that he was giving everyone advance notice.
Don't we learn who is most skilled by finding out who can handle a club selection and playing strategy question under pressure?
Enough rambling...your thoughts?
...sitting on the couch and moaping. Tommy Bonk reports that he flew to Hoylake for two days of preparation.
He says it's time for the big guy to shed a few pounds...
Some estimate the 6-foot-2 Mickelson weighs in excess of 230 pounds, and the recent mug shot of Mickelson used all week by NBC Sports looked like a different person. He should use as much discipline in front of his refrigerator as he has on the course.
Thanks to reader Noonan for this Mark Cannizzaro exclusive chat with Jim "Bones" Mackay, Phil Mickelson's longtime caddie.
"There was never even a consideration about hitting anything but driver," Mackay told The Post yesterday. "Phil hits his 4-wood no more than about 240 yards. A 4-wood into a 10- to 15-mile-per-hour wind uphill is going to go about 225 yards. There was no possible way to hit 4-wood long enough to reach the dogleg if he missed the fairway."
Mackay said Mickelson, who had hit just two of the previous 13 fairways, and he were well aware of what was taking place ahead of them.
"We saw [Geoff] Ogilvy hit his second shot and were guessing that he hadn't put it on the green because he didn't look thrilled with it and we never heard the crowd roar," Mackay said. "With [Colin Montgomerie], we heard from TV guys that he had a 10-foot putt for a five, and 60 seconds later we heard the crowd groan.
"So we knew that 4-over was going to win the tournament, and Phil was not playing for a tie."
Mackay pointed to the fact that the reason Mickelson kept using driver was that it gave him a better chance to get the ball onto the green.
Sheesh, even Borat might have asked Phil Mickelson about the new penthouse timeshare he purchased overlooking the Old Course. Anyway, some highlights from his gathering with the assembled literary craftsman:
RAND JERRIS: Obviously you had success at Baltusrol last August. Would you compare this Tillinghast course to Baltusrol.
PHIL MICKELSON: Comparing Baltusrol to Winged Foot, they are very similar with bunkering, very similar shot values, the way the holes move, the challenge on the greens, very similar. They're both very difficult golf courses.
He sure knows how to wipe the smiles off the faces of those Winged Foot members.
Q. Does this course skew more to a right to left ball flight on driver holes, and if so, does that enhance your prospects this week?
PHIL MICKELSON: There are a lot of holes where you can move it either way, and right to left shots fit fine on this golf course. Left to right shots fit fine on this golf course. There are two holes where I'll be hitting a draw, the 8th hole and the 17th hole. It doesn't have to be a big draw, it just has to softly turn to the right. But other than those two holes, I'll be fading it off most every tee.
For me what it does is makes it a softer cut, takes out some of the roll and when it hits the fairway it's more inclined to stay.
A couple years ago, the USGA took 25, 30 percent out of the fairways. In '99 the fairways were 32, 34 yards wide. The last couple years they've been 24 yards. I think the widest fairway I saw was 27, 28 paces, but on average 24. So we've lost, what, a quarter of the fairways. So I'm trying to get the ball just to come in a lot softer. I don't want to hit a draw where the balls run.
He's being kind with those 27 and 28 yard figures.
Kind of sad that course setup has come to this: fast and firm would be bad because the fairways are so narrow, the balls would not stay in them.
Q. I'm wondering, there's been a lot of feedback from players about the tiers of rough and that it seems like the punishment now fits the crime a little more appropriately. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on that and whether you think that's a good evolution.
PHIL MICKELSON: Well, for me personally, the larger you hit it off line, I kind of like the way it was trampled down, but that's a personal thing. I actually think this is the way the rough probably should be, and I think it's something the Tour is probably looking at doing in the future because it makes play fair. If you miss the fairway by two yards, you're not penalized nearly as much as if you miss it by ten yards. And in the past, ten yards was a lot better off than barely missing the fairway because you'd get the trampled down effect. The rough would be walked on, you'd get a good lie, whereas two yards off the fairway, no one had been walking there, the rough had grown vertical, and the ball sits to the bottom.
I think this is a much fairer way to approach it, and it should be really good. I think that in the future the Tour may even look to that, at doing that themselves.
Mickelson really is getting serious about the majors: $3.4 million for 9 weeks a year overlooking 1 and 18 at the Old Course.
Geoff Shackelford is a Senior Writer for Golfweek magazine, a weekly contributor to Golf Channel's Morning
Copyright © 2022, Geoff Shackelford. All rights reserved.
