PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- Is it possible for a guy to be both a slow learner and a quick study?
With Phil Mickelson, you make the call.
Roughly four years ago, during an informal visit to the Las Vegas office of noted swing guru Butch Harmon, Mickelson looked at the assortment of autographed flags hanging on the coach's wall. Included in the collection was a signed flag from each golf course where Tiger Woods, then Harmon's top client, had won a major championship.
"Impressive," Mickelson mused.
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| Phil Mickelson is congratulated on his victory by 2006 Players champ Stephen Ames. (Getty Images) |
"If you would cut down your swing and give up a few yards off the tee, you could have a few of those on your wall, too," Harmon said at the time.
Three weeks after the two finally teamed up as coach and client, Mickelson notched one of the biggest wins of his career, cruising to a two-stroke win at The Players Championship on Sunday at TPC Sawgrass.
OK, so it isn't exactly a major, but that's not really the point. Mickelson shot 69 in the final round to finish 11 under and put on a tactical clinic in what ranked as one of the most satisfying, effortless rounds of his career. Afterward, fittingly, he autographed a Sawgrass flag for Harmon to add to his office collection. He added a personal note: "The First of Many."
Nobody is arguing the point, either. If Mickelson's new swing is still a work in progress, the Phil-Harmonic orchestra is merely warming up. In roughly a month, Mickelson has cut down his long and loose backswing, placed an emphasis on hitting more fairways and announced his intention to win tournaments with consistent ball-striking. That's not just a physical overhaul, but a complete philosophical brainwashing.
Missin' mission accomplished.
"This is just the tip of the iceberg," Harmon said. "He's going to get a lot better."
If there is indeed room for improvement, the PGA Tour is about to get a lot more interesting. The player once known mostly for providing white-knuckle, Maalox-chugging, HANS-device entertainment played like a left-handed Iron Byron, hitting 23 of his final 27 greens in regulation.
"What's most exciting is that I feel like we're just getting started," Mickelson said. "This is only week No. 3. In three months, how much am I going to progress? In three years where am I going to be?"
