Full name: Philip Alfred Mickelson
Nickname: Lefty
Born: June 16, 1970 (1970-06-16) (age 39)
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight 200 lb (91 kg; 14 st)
Residence Rancho Santa Fe, California, USA
Spouse Amy
Turned professional 1992
Professional wins 44
Phil Mickelson is already looking forward to 2010. Having decided to “shelve” his season to be with his wife Amy, who is battling breast cancer, Phil made a triumphant return to the Tour for the playoffs, claiming victory at The Tour Championship. The win was Lefty’s 37th on Tour.
Phil married Amy, a former Phoenix Suns cheerleader, in 1996. They have three children. Their first was due the week of the 1999 U.S. Open, where Mickelson carried a beeper and was ready to leave if Amy went into labour, even though he was in contention to win his first major. He finished second to Payne Stewart and the child was born the next day. As it transpired Mickelson was to remain major-less for another four years until he sought help from a former NASA physicist turned short game guru named Dave Pelz
When Phil phoned Dave Pelz for the first time seeking help in December 2003, he declared that he had saved a quarter a shot in each round in each of the majors he has played, he would have won several of them. He asked Pelz to help him achieve that by working on his short game. Pelz was somewhat daunted but intrigued by the request and suggested meeting Phil in Augusta in January to practise on the greens well in advance of the first major of 2004. An out and out family man, Mickelson was vehemently opposed to the idea, prompting Pelz to deliver an ultimatum, “You are 0 for 43 in the majors your way, lets try it my way”. Pelz recalled their first putting session. “Phil read a putt and lined up one ball right of the hole. He made his stroke and hit it three balls right of the hole. It came around beautifully and dropped into the cup. He looked over at Pelz for approval but the big guy just shook his head. “93% of players subconsciously aim it differently to where they want to aim it”, he says. If it drops, a player is lucky but statistically a player cant get lucky all the time. At the start of their time together Pelz says, “Phil was a poor reader of greens”. Their work together lead to Mickelson’s now famous around the clock putting routine which he has used ever since. And the proof is the putting; Mickelson now has three majors under his belt, two of them at Augusta.
Mickelson is well known for his sense of humour. In the lead to Annika Sorenstam’s debut on the men’s PGA Tour at the 2003 Colonial, Phil was asked by the press how he thought she would do. “I think she will come in the top 20” he said. “And how do you think you will do” continued the press-man. “I hoping for 19th or better”, laughed Phil.
What’s In Phil Mickelson’s Bag
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