Energized Phil Mickelson turning things around at TPC Boston
7:38 PM ET
- Jason SobelESPN Senior Writer Close
- Covered golf since 2004
- Former writer at Golf Channel
- Winner of four Emmys while at ESPN
NORTON, Mass. — On the 17th hole at the Dell Technologies Championship on Saturday afternoon, Lucas Glover watched as his playing partners put on a little short-game show. First it was Ian Poulter, who deftly knocked a difficult chip to tap-in par range. Then Phil Mickelson used his noted wedge prowess to hit one just as tight, another easy par from a tough position.
As they walked off the green, Glover turned to Poulter and said, "I'd like to watch you two around the chipping green."
Poulter simply winked back at him and admitted, "He's got me."
One hole later, after Poulter hit a chip that ran out past the cup by 8 feet, Mickelson stepped up from a similar position, took out his 64-degree wedge and played a delicate pitch to tap-in range once again.
As they walked off that final green, Poulter turned toward Glover and uttered a single word in response: "See?"
Mickelson has cultivated a Hall of Fame career based largely around his short-game aptitude, the closest thing the 21st century has seen to the magical Seve Ballesteros. Recently, though, that short game had been letting him down. Or more to the point, his concentration levels have been letting him down during these situations.
Earlier this week, Mickelson alluded to having "a difficult time with my mental focus and energy level." He explained that after eight months of struggling in these areas, he decided to see his doctor — the same one who treated his arthritis seven years ago.
"He seemed to have found something," the left-hander said. "This is the best energy I've had throughout the round and the best focus — the first time I've been able to visualize. My short game has been very disappointing, and I haven't been able to visualize the shot I've been trying to hit."
Mickelson declined to get into specifics as to what the medical condition is or how the doctor is treating it, but insisted that he's excited about the results, finally able to see those shots again, especially with a wedge in his hands.
After rounds of 69 and 67 to climb the leaderboard at TPC Boston into a tie for sixth, 3 shots behind 36-hole leader Jon Rahm, Mickelson spoke Saturday about his increasing optimism toward his game.
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He cited those two chips — the ones that impressed his playing partners — as examples of his renewed focus around the greens.
"That's exactly what I'm talking about," he said. "I haven't been able to see how I want the ball to come off while I'm hitting it. When I'm looking at the ball, I usually have a mental picture of the shot and visualizing the shot, and then my body kind of reacts to that, creates that shot. I haven't been doing that. I've just been blindly hitting the shot. But my short game has been phenomenal this week, and yet I really haven't done anything different other than being able to see the shot that I'm trying to hit."
It's been a trying year for Mickelson. He owns just three top-10 finishes. He split with longtime caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay. He's on the outside looking in for the impending United States Presidents Cup roster.
That final matter might not be in the forefront of his mind this week, but it is lingering somewhere nearby. He is ranked 18th on the current points list. After this tournament's Monday finish, the top 10 will automatically make the team, with captain Steve Stricker adding two more wildcard selections two days later.
Mickelson, 47, has played on every U.S. squad since 1994 — that's 11 appearances in both the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup.
"[Stricker] needs to do what's best for the team," Mickelson said. "These are fun events, but they are also important and we want to win. And as a captain, it's his job, his responsibility, to make the tough decisions and do what's in the best interests of the team, and I support that either way. I would love to be the one he felt added to the team, but if I'm not, he's got to make that tough call. I totally understand it. I've had a tough time for a while. These two rounds, although they have been great, I don't know if that's enough or not. Let's see how the weekend goes and we'll go from there."
Clearly, he's found something.
This week already marks the first time Mickelson has posted back-to-back sub-70 rounds since the FedEx St. Jude Classic almost three months ago, when he parlayed a back-nine lead into a ninth-place result.
He's hoping that a renewed focus can continue allowing him to work his vaunted short-game magic deeper into the FedEx Cup playoffs, a touch that had vanished for much of this year.
"It's been difficult all year," said Mickelson, who is expected to qualify for the next playoff event, the BMW Championship. "Energy level, focus, the whole thing. I'm glad to see that I'm on the right track. It might be too little, too late, but at least I know I'm on the right path. So whether it really clicks this week or next year, whenever, I know that I'll get it back."
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