Phil, what's in the bag?

[Steve_ Shaffer]

PM's 9 was easy- on in 6 and then a 3putt!!

www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/sports/golf/15notes.html

[David Stamm]

Let's remember that the modern ball does not spin as much as the old balatas and as noted, with perimeter weighting technology, the launch angle, even off a 56 or 60 wedge might be considerably different with a 1968 Sand Wedge and balata ball.

As noted, when Phil is hitting an 8 iron 160 yards, you will need multiple "wedges" to progress down to 75 yards.

My good friend Mr Pieracci hits his 5 wood farther then his 3 wood, the announcers would have a field day with that fact ...


 

Good points, Mike. BTW, Steve should check those shafts on his 3w and 5w.

[Justin_Zook]

Phil Mickelson with all his adjustments is just annoying.  I really wouldn't minding him at all if he just stuck with the same general clubs and kept it basically simple. 

It just seems like with all the change, does he really have the game (or the mind) to account for all the variation?

[tlavin]

To quote Phil himself, "I am such an idiot."

He is an idiot,  wastrel of his considerable talent and a person who I will no longer cheer for.  From the 3-wood decision to the quadruple bogey to his remarkably glib-in-denial press conference, he is becoming a joke despite being a golf freak talent-wise.

[David Stamm]

Phil Mickelson with all his adjustments is just annoying.  I really wouldn't minding him at all if he just stuck with the same general clubs and kept it basically simple. 

It just seems like with all the change, does he really have the game (or the mind) to account for all the variation?

I agree, Justin. Your comment reminds me of when Payne Stewart first started to work with his long time caddy, Mike Hicks. He started to notice Hicks would only give him yardages in increments of 5 yds (150, 155, 160, etc). Payne finally asked him, "Why do you give my yardages in 5 yd increments?" Hicks responded, "Because I don't think anybody is that good!" True or not, I think Phil needs to stop thinking so damn much and just play. Getting cute with 2 drivers, no drivers, 5 wedges etc, etc, etc must amuse TW and make it easier for him to beat him like a drum like he usually does. 

[Jon Wiggett]

I think maybe some of us are getting too hung up on names I have the full tour wedge system, yes all 14. It starts with my 8.5° long wedge through to my 2° Ping roll wedge

[mike_beene]

I believe Rocco's most lofted wedge is 56 degrees.

[George Pazin]

It's funny, for all the ripping of Phil, I didn't hear a single person point out that all those missed fairways with the "3 wood" (yeah, 11.5 degrees is a 3 wood), he might have been in a whole helluva lot more trouble with missed drivers.

Phil simply didn't have it this week. Tiger's the only guy whose C game is strong enough to keep him competitive all the time.

[Michael Powers]

George,
There is a better chance that Mickelson missed fairways with his three wood because he had to lean on it, especially on the longer 4's and 5's.  The problem was not that he hit it crooked, it's that he hit it short and crooked.

[Jim Nugent]

George,
There is a better chance that Mickelson missed fairways with his three wood because he had to lean on it, especially on the longer 4's and 5's.  The problem was not that he hit it crooked, it's that he hit it short and crooked.

Only Phil knows how he was hitting his driver this week, on the range and in practice rounds.  The fact that he chose 3-wood so often suggests he was having trouble with his driver. 

[mike_beene]

Jim,what you say is thoughtful,intellegent and logical;so that can't be correct because we are talking about Mickelson.

[Doug Siebert]

George,

I disagree.  If Mickelson had hit a driver his misses might have been wider and then he'd be playing from the areas the gallery had trampled like Tiger did probably a dozen times during the tournament.  In fact, if there was no gallery so that rough was as thick as the rest of it there's no way Tiger would have won!

In other words, Phil's problem wasn't that he was missing fairways, but that he wasn't missing fairways by enough yards