He possessed a complete collection of short shots and, unlike some modern pros, was not averse to keeping the ball close to the ground if the situation demanded it.Īs a party trick he could splash out of a pot bunker by opening the face of a long iron and, with a wedge in his hands, he was deadly. His imagination around the putting surfaces and his ability to select the correct shot were second to none. His skills were honed from an early age when he taught himself the game on the beach at Pedrena, using the rusted head of a 3-iron with a stick for a shaft and pebbles for balls. In the history of the game, no man has showed such creativity and deftness of touch around the greens as Severiano Ballesteros. He possesses a blend of total confidence and sublime touch that allows him to pull of strokes in competition that other pros struggle to produce in practice. Mickelson just loves chipping and pitching the ball and has spent hours on the practice green perfecting his art to become a modern master of the short shot. The short game guru had such confidence in Mickelson’s talent that he stood just feet in front of him. Outside tournament play we’ve seen him play shots that go backwards from uphill lies and, famously he played a lob shot over Dave Pelz’s head. He has the skill to make the ball check on whatever bounce he sees fit. Countless chip-ins, miraculous escapes and wonderful displays of spin control. His creativity around the greens has produced some of the most memorable shots of the last 20 years. No problem: He took out his lob wedge, nipped the ball cleanly from the surface, throwing it high into the air and landing it softly by the hole. In the Nissan Open of 2007, he found himself on the wrong side of the green on the 6th hole – on the putting surface but with a bunker between his ball and the cup. Phil Mickelson has become synonymous with the “flop shot.” And he can play that stroke from the tightest of lies. His ability to cut the legs from under a ball using a club with 64 degrees of loft allows him to play shots that mere mortals can only dream of. Mickelson has mastered the use of the lob wedge. His aptitude with lofted wedges has set a standard for professional golfers in recent years. Phil Mickelson’s skills epitomise the modern short game.
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