The post Tim Mickelson explains how he kept Phil calm down the stretch at PGA Championship appeared first on Golf.

The post Tim Mickelson explains how he kept Phil calm down the stretch at PGA Championship appeared first on Golf.

Phil Mickelson is now a six-time major champion, existing in rarefied air, alongside fellow greats of the game and other six-time major champs Lee Trevino and Nick Faldo. And though Mickelson ended up with a two-shot advantage at the end of the final round of the PGA Championship on Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, the result was never a sure thing until the final putt dropped. Mickelson battled hard all afternoon, trading multiple two-shot swings over the course of 18 holes with his playing partner, Brooks Koepka, until Mickelson finally emerged on top.

Mickelson has spoken at length about how getting a handle on his focus has been his key to success this week. And luckily, he has a caddie — his brother, Tim — who is able to reel him back in when he senses Phil’s mind might be starting to wander from the task at hand.

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“I just told him to stop thinking so much,” Tim explained when he was asked after the round about how he assisted Phil’s historic achievement. “When he would get ahead of himself, I reminded him, Hey, we’ll worry about that when we get there. A few stories here and there. Maybe one or two might have been made up, who knows, but anything I can to keep his mind off of the shot that’s coming up when it’s not even our turn to hit.”

In his post-victory comments, Phil got a bit more specific, crediting his brother with giving him some tough love at a key point in the final round.

“I’ll tell you a perfect example, and this is an intangible that makes him relatable or understand me, get the best out of me and makes him a great caddie,” Phil said. “I’m walking off 6, I had made some uncommitted swings the first six holes. I had been striking the ball awesome the first three days. I had a wonderful warm-up session, like I was ready to go and I made some uncommitted swings the first six holes. He pulled me aside and said, ‘If you’re going to win this thing, you’re going to have to make committed golf swings.’ It hit me in the head, I can’t make passive — I can’t control the outcome, I have to swing committed. The first one I made was the drive on 7. Good drive on 7 gave me a chance to get down by the green and make birdie. From there on, I hit a lot of really good shots because I was committed to each one.”

Though Phil’s round was full of ups and downs, those opening seven holes (which included three birdies and three bogeys) were especially significant, and, thanks to an assist from his brother, helped set the tone for Phil’s eventual triumph.

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The post Phil Mickelson’s caddie: 5 things to know about Tim Mickelson appeared first on Golf.

The post Phil Mickelson’s caddie: 5 things to know about Tim Mickelson appeared first on Golf.

1. Before this, he was an agent

Just a few years ago, Phil Mickelson was still playing with longtime caddie Jim Mackay. Jon Rahm, an up-and-coming talent on the PGA Tour was catching the eyes of many. His agent? Tim Mickelson. Mickelson served in the role of Rahm’s agent for about 17 months at Lagardère Sports. Since taking over the caddying gig Mickelson has been forced into backing off his agent gig, though Rahm stayed with the Lagardère brand.

2. And before that he was a coach

The main reason why Mickelson became Rahm’s agent was that he originally recruited Rahm to come play at Arizona State, where Mickelson was the head coach for five years, from 2011 through 2016. It was in that 2016 season that Mickelson’s team had its best finish, taking 9th at nationals after winning the regional tournament. Prior to ASU, Tim coached at the University of San Diego for eight years.

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I think @alberto_sanchez7 and I were debating over who had bigger arms. Ok, maybe it was if it was a 6 iron or 7 iron for him. Naturally he hit the 7.

A post shared by Tim Mickelson (@timmick29) on Nov 12, 2016 at 6:11pm PST

3. And before that, a player as well

Phil Mickelson isn’t the only one in the family to get a Tour start. Tim played in the 1999 Buick Invitational, missing the cut just like brother Phil. In 2010, Tim actually made it to a playoff against one of the players on his very own team (at U of San Diego), Gunner Wiebe. Their sloppy playoff eventually was won by Giebe, but not for lack of an impressive effort by Mickelson.

4. His dream foursome is different than yours

If Tim could pick any three other people to join him for a round, he’s going with president Abraham Lincoln, swimsuit model Kelly Rohrbach and universally known physicist Isaac Newton. How’s that for a squad? No Phil, Arnie, Jack, Tiger or any other golf greats. Tim is learning some non-golf stuff while he’s dreaming with this group.

5. He and Phil are ambidextrous opposites

Tim Mickelson is left-handed but plays golf right-handed. His brother is exactly the opposite — right-handed but playing golf left-handed. How’s that for odd? It’s possible you’ve already known Phil’s handedness based off many popular videos of him slinging the football around.

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The post Jon Rahm hilariously explains Phil Mickelson’s detail-oriented approach appeared first on Golf.

The post Jon Rahm hilariously explains Phil Mickelson’s detail-oriented approach appeared first on Golf.

Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm couldn’t seem more different, but their shared connection of Tim Mickelson (Rahm’s former coach and Phil’s brother caddie) keeps them in close proximity of each other.

It is part of the reason they frequently play practice rounds together, like they did this week at the CareerBuilder Challenge. Having both played their collegiate golf at Arizona State and having both started their careers with early victories, the comparisons are sure to continue. But if Rahm’s press conference Wednesday is any indication, those comparisons might have to be tempered.

Rahm was asked about what he has learned in his time playing around Mickelson, and it couldn’t be more clear how differently they think.

“I have a good time when I play practice rounds with him because we joke around together a lot,” Rahm said. “And for me it’s fun to hear, now that he’s with Tim [Mickelson], and we are all really close. It, to me, is really fun to hear how they talk to each other, because Tim being my coach at ASU, I don’t need much. OK, it’s like 120, this shot, right.

“And you have Phil, it’s like, oh, this shot, the moisture, this going on, this is like one mile an hour wind sideways, it’s going to affect it one yard. This green is soft, this trajectory. They’re thinking and I’m like, I’m lost. I’m like, God, if I do that thought process, I could not hit the golf shot. And it’s funny, he gets to the green and then it’s the same thing. He’s very detail oriented. He gets there and I’m like, oh, it’s a foot right. And he goes, OK, he reads the green, like, oh, it’s 1.8 degrees of slope here and this and that. And I’m there listening and I’m like, man, I hope we’re never paired together for anything because I can’t think like this.”

Not many people can. As Rahm would continue to say, there are not many players like Mickelson. It’s something he proved last year with David Feherty, as well as on the GOLF.com Podcast with Alan Shipnuck. You can listen to that and much more from Mickelson in the podcast below.

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The post Tour Confidential: What can we expect from Phil Mickelson in 2018? appeared first on Golf.

The post Tour Confidential: What can we expect from Phil Mickelson in 2018? appeared first on Golf.

Phil Mickelson makes his 2018 debut at the CareerBuilder Challenge. What are realistic expectations for Mickelson this season?

Phil Mickelson makes his 2018 debut at the CareerBuilder Challenge. What are realistic expectations for Mickelson this season?

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The post Bold predictions for 2018: Phil Mickelson wins the Masters appeared first on Golf.

The post Bold predictions for 2018: Phil Mickelson wins the Masters appeared first on Golf.

Can a 47-year-old Phil Mickelson win the 2018 Masters at Augusta National?

Can a 47-year-old Phil Mickelson win the 2018 Masters at Augusta National?

The post Bold predictions for 2018: Phil Mickelson wins the Masters appeared first on Golf.

The post Phil Mickelson purchasing Ocotillo Golf Club in Arizona, report says appeared first on Golf.

The post Phil Mickelson purchasing Ocotillo Golf Club in Arizona, report says appeared first on Golf.

Phil Mickelson is buying another golf course.

According to The Arizona Republic, Mickelson and his agent Steve Loy, his brother Tim Mickelson, and Arizona Valley developer Spike Lawrence, are purchasing the 27-hole Ocotillo Golf Club in Chandler, Ariz.

It will be the group’s eighth course in the area. Mickelson operates a private membership club called Mickelson Private Golf, which is limited to 50 members who receive 200 round certificates per year, to be used at any of these five Arizona courses: McDowell Mountain Golf Club in Scottsdale, the Palm Valley Golf Club in Goodyear, the Golf Club at Chaparral Pines in Payson, the Rim Golf Club in Payson, and the Stone Canyon Club in Oro Valley.

“When I heard Ocotillo’s owners were ready to sell, I went straight to Phil and Steve,” Lawrence told The Republic.

The deal hasn’t closed yet, so the price tag for the property hasn’t been disclosed.

“It’s a great course, and it will be an honor to own it,” said Loy.

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