Mickelson hits one fairway!

[Shak-]

Here’s a Mickelson quote.

“What I'm looking for is how to make easy pars, how to get the ball in the fairway easily, how to get it up and around the greens without a lot of stress, without having to hit perfect shots. 

I'm not going to carry [a driver] this week, no. I feel like the 64-degree wedge on this firm ground can save me some shots, and I just don't see how a driver is going to help me in any areas.

I'm able to hit that 3-wood on this firm ground every bit as close enough in distance on the holes and distance on any tee shot is not even in my mind. It's avoiding bunkers, avoiding rough, getting the ball in the fairway. And I can do it a lot easier with clubs other than driver.“

That’s him speaking in 2013, a couple of weeks after finishing second at a really tight, punishing US Open setup. He just couldn’t get putts to drop that week, tee to green he was exceptional.

A few days after that quote he won the British Open at a difficult Muirfield, shooting what he has called easily the best round of his life on the final day, a 66 that put him at -3 and the only player to finish the tournament under par.

Two majors without a driver in his bag, the strategy being get the ball in play off the tee and let one of the best short games the sport has ever seen determine his fate. One win, one runner up finish that could do easily have been another victory.

Polar opposite of how he’s approached the game ever since for some stupid reason. Occasionally it all clicks and he puts a good week together and gets in contention, generally though he’s just a sideshow comedy act now and it’s hard to watch. Really has wasted his last few years and it’s sad to me as he’s without question the golfer I’ve cheered for the most in my life.