Posted 02-15-2010After week at Pebble Beach changes are due
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (Feb. 14, 2010) – They think of almost everything at Pebble Beach, from attentive service in the world class hotels to the best chocolate chip cookie on the PGA Tour, but Phil Mickelson left one of his favorite venues with no love at all.
The longest putt he made all week was from 10 feet on the 12th hole at Pebble Beach Saturday and that for a sand-save par.
The last thing he said before going to the first tee Sunday morning with K.J. Choi and his amateur partner, Hollis Craven, was, “I’m hitting it great. I’m thinking 64.”
The first thing he said when he finished a round of 71 that took nearly six hours to play was, “It’s hard to shoot 64 when you’re two-putting on every hole.”
It seemed like that, anyway. There were six 1-putts: three par saves and three birdies, the last on 18, which was enough to earn his first top-10 of the year, a share of eighth place, five shots off the lead.
For all his woes on the greens he did take away two things to look forward to when he returns from a long-delayed family vacation this week: sessions with short game aides Dave Stockton and Dave Pelz and an idea of what’s to come when the U.S. Open visits Pebble Beach in June.
“It was valuable to see the cut lines for the Open (fairways),” said Mickelson. “Especially with the way they’ve moved several holes closer to the water, I see a very defensive approach, a lot of 3-woods, hybrids, maybe irons off the tees.”
As for the par-5s, which on the pricey but public course are nearly wide enough to land jets side-by-side, the second will be a narrow strip down the middle of the existing fairway; the sixth will be moved to the right, within yards of the cliff over Carmel Bay; the dogleg-right 14th has been moved left, making it a longer drive to the short grass and the 18th will be a stripe down the middle of the current fairway, with those two signature pine trees right in the middle of it.
Sunday Mickelson hit a drive 310 yards over the bunkers in the dogleg on 14, then bombed his 3-wood 279 yards uphill and over the green. He may not find that drive in June. On 18, with a wind he’d never seen in umpteen playings of Pebble, into him on the tee, he hit it 270 in the fairway that won’t be there in June and then cranked his 3-wood to the ramp in front of the green.
Hey, it was fun while it lasted at Pebble Beach, off the tee if not on the greens. And after consulting with his consultants next weekend, Mickelson hopes the fun resumes in Scottsdale.
“I certainly expected to play better score better these last three weeks,” said Mickelson, “but they’ve given me some thing s to work on. I like the way I’m hitting it but it’s discouraging to keep hitting it 8 to 12 feet and not make anything. I’m not far off. I’m looking forward to doing a little fine-tuning with Pelz and Dave Stockton. Once I see a few start falling in I’ll be on my way.”