Phil Mickelson...what's up?

[TN94z]

I was watching what little of the tournament I could catch this weekend and got to see Phil play a little.  He just baffles me.  Phil has a TON of talent and yet seems so far away from putting it together.  It seems that every time I watch him, he hits so many errant shots that it's not funny.  I know he has been known to go for the lower percentage, make it or break it type shots.  But when do you stop doing that and start doing what it takes to get on a streak?

It almost seems to like he is too caught up in how far he can hit it instead of just getting it on the green and scoring.  It's like watching one of my buddies who refuses to club back and swing smooth to keep it in play.  Phil's short game is nothing short of brilliant (most of the time), so why not lay off the "bombs" and keep it in the fairway and score?  I know there is more too it than that and I. obviously, am not the one to give a Pro golfer advice. But I would like to think that if I had his talent and on the PGA tour, I would be finishing better than he does.

I expect to get bashed for this I guess, but I just don't get it.

[reedf]

I certainly won't bash you! I agree! IMO, Phil needs a new caddy. Just someone fresh to slap some sense into his head! Lol! I also think that Phil (and most others) would be better off trying NOT to "work the ball" quite so much. It seems like every shot must be a bender instead of just hitting it down the middle of the fairway. Although it does make me feel a little better about my game when I see these guys playing their second shots from some very bad places!

[newtogolf]

The Golf Channel boys were discussing Phil and said he's really been involved in a lot of promotion and charity work outside of golf and they believe given his age, and health issues that he's just spreading himself too thin and is fatigued.  Whatever it is, he really seems to have struggled since the Masters (except for Byron Nelson, T7).

[TN94z]

Originally Posted by newtogolf

The Golf Channel boys were discussing Phil and said he's really been involved in a lot of promotion and charity work outside of golf and they believe given his age, and health issues that he's just spreading himself too thin and is fatigued.  Whatever it is, he really seems to have struggled since the Masters (except for Byron Nelson, T7).

But he has been doing this for a long time though, right?  I mean, it's pretty much what he has been known for.  I know he does a lot of charity stuff and surely is fatigued, but it seems like that would be even more incentive to lay back and score and not try to highlight reel everything.

[MSchott]

Phil is Phil. That means he's not content to play safe all the time and enjoys working the ball. He's wild off the tee and his putting is inconsistent. However, he has 4 majors and a ton of wins in his career and it would not surprise me if he wins at least one more major. He's always been up and down.

[iacas]

I blame Butch Harmon.

Not really. I just wanted to play TV analyst for a second.

[GaijinGolfer]

Phil is Phil.  He's either spectacular or he goes down in flames.  He has always thrown caution to the wind and I doubt any caddy is going to make him chance that.  I attribute much of his struggles to his health problems though.  The fact that Phil is still playing even though he has psoriatic athritus is pretty impressive.  Most of us would probably quit golf if we had to deal with that.

[stoverny]

I agree regarding Phil's health issues.  Add to the fact that most of the recent tournaments have been in VERY hot weather and I think it takes it's toll.

I don't think it is just his driving, or going for low-percentage shots though.  Even his short game has been off, which is very unusual.  Really his whole game/rhythm/demeanor is off which makes me think health issues might play a part.

He might get his form back this season, but I think Phil might need a break.  I'd look for him to come back strong next year but I don't expect much out of him this week or in the Fedex playoffs.

[uttexas]

He's won a lot of tournaments (including multiple majors) with lots of talent flipping at impact. But he's now a 42yo harmonized enbrel spokesman.

[Clambake]

Originally Posted by GaijinGolfer

I attribute much of his struggles to his health problems though.  The fact that Phil is still playing even though he has psoriatic athritus is pretty impressive.  Most of us would probably quit golf if we had to deal with that.

None of really know what's going on, but I agree that his health issues can't be underestimated here.    We have a family friend with psoriatic arthritis and it can be very debilitating for physical activity, with symptoms including pain, swelling, and stiffness in joints, swelling in fingers, pain the feet and ankles, lower back pain, and extreme exhaustion.     Those don't sound like easy things to overcome when you're trying to play golf at an elite level.

[Motley01]

He could have won the Masters this year, if it weren't for two bad holes. How long ago was that? In April, only 4 months ago.

Sure Phil doesn't seem to have it all together right now, and he's probably spending too much non golf, business like time away from golf right now. (ie partnering with the San Diego Padre's)

[newtogolf]

I agree Phil's health is probably most to blame for his poor performance.  I have no idea how much time he's spending on non-golf activities so can't comment on that but it can't be helping him.  I know if I'm tired or fatigued my lousy golf game on a local course gets even worse.  I can only imagine how fatigue could affect someone playing on a championship course in front of cameras and thousands of people.

As for his shot choice, that's Phil.  I'm not sure he knows how to not work the ball or just hit a straight shot anymore.  If Butch is changing up his swing we could be seeing some residual effect from that as well.

[TN94z]

I agree about his health. I was thinking further back than this year as well, but didn't think about still having the health issues then too.

[Lefty536]

The answer is simply...as the season goes on Phil simply gets tired. Just look at the stats: 31 of his 40 PGA Tour wins have  been before June. 3 of his 4 major wins have been at The Masters....and that is first major of the year.

[Motley01]

I sure bet you that Phil wouldn't mind the entire 4 majors being at Augusta National, he absolutley loves that place.

[clubchamp]

I agree with the fact that I think his arthritis is causing problems for him and I know medication helps but there is no way he is 100% every week.

[ClayHbg]

I don't know what's wrong with him but at this point he might be a serious liability on the Ryder Cup team.

[bulls9999]

http://www.golf.com/video/phil-mickelson-practices-pga-championship-2012?sct=hp6&PID;=4003003

Cool story about Phil during yesterday's practice round. I liked the part in the video where the guy from Sports Illustrated says on one tee box during his practice round, there was a house in the distance with people partying and they acknowledged Phil who then asked Bones to range-find the pool, then he hits a ball with his wedge into the pool and the people put the hands up that it went in and they dove in after the ball, lol.