Phil Mickelson and the Belly Putter
Monday, January 30th, 2012 10:54:39 by Kashif Khan
Phil Mickelson has been giving away shots on the short putts lately, and at the BMW Championship on Wednesday during the pro-am, he had the belly putter in his bag. He was talking to the media about it and said,
“I’m enjoying it,” Mickelson said after shooting a 1-over 72 at Cog Hill. “The more I’ve spent time with it, the more I’m enjoying it.”
Mickelson acknowledged that he has taken some “shortcuts” after getting advice from PGA champ Keegan Bradley, the rookie who was the first to use a non-traditional putter to win a major. He knows that he will require more practice before he can understand its intricacies.
Mickelson talking about his game said “I’m not giving shots away on short putts anymore,” Mickelson said. “But again, I’ve only used it a couple weeks. It’s not like I’m sold on it. But it’s helped me not throw too many shots away around the greens. I feel like I’m putting short ones a lot better and starting to make some more mid-range.”
Mickelson who is ranked 10th in the Official Golf World Rankings (OGWR) is also tied at 10th in the FedEx Cup feels that he is pleased with his ball striking and also that he may have found a connection with the belly putter, during last weekend at the TPC Boston when he shot 63-69.
This year tee to green Mickelson feels he has played probably better than he has in his career, but he admits that on and around the greens it has been one of his worst. He feels that is why he has made a bunch of cuts and finished in the middle of the pack and not played up to his potential which he needs to keep himself in contention for a win.
Mickelson while talking about his game said that he was starting to feel a slight turn there the last round on Sunday, where he made a lot of four- , five- , six-footers at Boston, and spent the last week putting. He also mentions that he started to make more eight- , ten- , 12-footers, the ones that a player really needs to make. He felt if he can have a good putting week, the way he has been striking it his form will start to come through. But it’s not noticed until you shoot the scores, because all that matters in this game is what number you shoot. Mickelson added talking about his game.
Another thing that will be noticed on Tour is the pairing of Mickelson, Bubba Watson and Gary Woodland who rank No 2 and 5 respectively on Tour in driving distance. Mickelson averages at 300.2 and clocks in at No. 22
It would be interesting to see how much of an impact the belly putter will have on Mickelson’s game.
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Posted by Kashif Khan
on Jan 30 2012. Filed under Sports, World.
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