Phil Mickelson Credits Brother and 2-Wood for Early Lead at PGA

Phil Mickelson, bomber of golf balls, owner of killer calves, and host of Instagram fireside chats, is leading the second round of the PGA Championship. It’s the latest installment of What Will Phil Do Next. Guys his age, which is 50 in case anyone forgot, aren’t supposed to lead golf tournaments, much less majors, unless they are Champions Tour majors.

But for Mickelson, 50 may really be the new 40. He manufactured his way-back, time machine trick with the help of a 2-wood that lets him hit tee shots under the wind. He used it for drives on the 1st and 3rd holes, where he said he wanted to keep the ball down and where there isn’t a lot of trouble to hit over.

“Into the wind on the holes coming back, like 15, 16 and 18, I’ve had to use driver because I need a little bit more carry out of it,” he explained. “It’s a nice club for me to have when I feel a little bit uncomfortable because I can get it on the ground quicker and the miss isn’t too bad.”

Of course, Mickelson has always had a great iron game, and he still possesses one of the best short games in the history of the sport.

One of the reasons Mickelson thinks he played well the first two rounds is that he is doing mental exercises to improve the length of time he can concentrate. He has complained in recent seasons about losing focus during rounds. To combat that, he has been playing more golf, such as 36 or 45 holes, in a day. Then, when he goes out for a tournament round, it is much easier for him to focus on just 18 holes by comparison.

Whether there is any scientific proof behind it or not, Mickelson thinks it helps.

“I’m trying to use my mind like a muscle and just expand it because as I’ve gotten older, it’s been more difficult for me to maintain a sharp focus, a good visualization and see the shot,” he noted. “I’ve got to have that clear picture and focus.”

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Physically, he said he’s able to do what he has always been able to do, but mentally, he felt he was having trouble concentrating for long periods of time. Golf rounds, which the PGA predicted would take four hours and forty minutes have stretched well beyond that to well more than five hours. U.S. Opens are well-known for six-hour rounds the first two days.

Another reason for Mickelson’s good play on Friday, he said, was that he and his brother Tim, who is his caddie, have been very good at judging the wind and picking clubs.

Elaborating, he pointed out that he had 22 to 38 yards of “hurt” when playing into the wind, depending on the trajectory of his ball flight. Those adjustments are difficult to gauge, more an art than a science, especially on the fly which is how the decisions have to be made.

“We’ve hit a lot of iron shots pin high,” he said. “He’s been doing a phenomenal job.”

Hitting shots pin high or close to it is a key to winning any golf tournament, but in windy conditions, like those at Kiawah’s Ocean Course, it is an extremely difficult task to get right.

Mickelson played better, statistically, in round two than in round one. On Friday, he hit 78 percent of fairways compared to Thursday when he hit 43 percent. His longest drive Thursday was 363 yards, and on Friday, it was 345 yards. In a key stat, greens in regulation, he hit 66 percent on Friday and just 56 percent on Thursday.

For those who like the strokes gained stat, he was 6.29 in strokes gained for round two while he was 4.78 in round one.

While Mickelson likes his position, he’s not confident that he will still be leading at the end of the day. Only half the field had played the second round, and Mickelson knew that he would have to wait out the likes of Brooks Kopeka who brings an upgraded playing level when he tees it up in major championships.

“The fact is I’m heading into the weekend with an opportunity, and I’m playing really well and I’m having a lot of fun doing it,” he concluded.

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