News: The Greenbrier Classic
July 26 2011
10:54 am
Fewer scoring chances for Phil?
Phil Mickelson created a buzz around The Greenbrier Classic when he made it known weeks ahead of time that he would be committing to the 2011 event, which boasts a strong field in just its second year as a PGA TOUR stop.
It’s all part of Lefty’s preferred schedule — the man likes to play a lot of golf in the weeks leading up to major championships, and he probably also wants to get some more reps ahead of next week’s World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational, which he’s never won.
Mickelson has never officially teed it up at The Old White TPC, which is playing 200 yards longer than the 2010 version. The course was recently restored to its original design, but it still retains its par 70. His second-place run at the British Open is the only time this year he’s competed at a par-70 layout:
| Event | Course | Mickelson’s finish |
| 2011 British Open Championship | Royal St. George’s | Tied for second (2 under) |
| 2010 THE TOUR Championship | East Lake Golf Club | Tied for 22nd (3 over) |
| 2010 Bridgestone Invitational | Firestone South | Tied for 46th (3 over) |
| 2010 Crowne Plaza Invitational | Colonial C.C. | Missed cut (4 over) |
The last time Mickelson won on a par-70 layout was the 2009 THE TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola, when he fired a 66-65 weekend to beat Tiger Woods by three shots.
What does this mean for Mickelson’s chances this week? Tough to say. But at the very least, the two fewer par-5s give Mickelson fewer chances to score. In 2011, only Bubba Watson (not a shock) has been better on the par-5s, and even that margin is razor-thin:
| Player | Rounds | Par-5 birdie or better | 2011 Driving Distance (rank) |
| Bubba Watson | 63 | 54.41 percent | 313.1 yards (2nd) |
| Phil Mickelson | 54 | 54.01 percent | 298.3 (23rd) |
| Steve Stricker | 49 | 53.05 percent | 286.8 (117th) |
| Luke Donald | 46 | 52.31 percent | 280.9 (T156th) |
| J.B. Holmes | 54 | 52.05 percent | 318.1 yards (1st) |
What makes Mickelson so deadly on the par-5s? With his length off the tee, Mickelson can reach almost every par-5 in two. Even when he can’t, he can usually get up and down from less than 100 yards. Mickelson leads the TOUR in approaches from 50-75 yards (average of seven feet).
The next three weeks on TOUR will heavily emphasize performance on par-4s and par-3s, because all three courses (The Old White TPC, Firestone South, and Atlanta Athletic Club) are par-70 layouts with just two par-5s.
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Phil with 39 wins has proven he can win on any course!!!! GO PHIL. I sense a strong end of the season for him!!!!
Phil is the best player in the world!!!!
Phil will play well, his family hopefully with him and have fun at the resort, always a plus side to Phil playing good. He and Tom Watson will draw alot coming to town
Phil is a good guy, but he is NOT the best player in the world. If anything, he’s the most well-known golfer in the world, next to Woods that is. In fact, if you want to see a thin, pre-psoriatic arthritis version of him, rent Tin Cup. You’ll get a kick out of it.
Phil is an amazing golf, The golf shot he comes up with are nothing short of amazing. I believe phil will win this week provided he tries not to over power the couser. Phil play his best when he wants to just have fun at it.
Cheers Phil & good luck.
Phil is just a all around good guy..A great golfer as well. I followed him at the Masters and man was that a treat..I saw golf shots that I didn’t think was possible.But somehow and someway he always pulled them off..GO PHIL!!You the MAN!
THERE ARE TWO STAND OUT GOLFERS IN THE LAST MAYBE TEN YEARS?, BOTH OF EQUAL SHOT-MAKING TALENT PHIL AND TIGER, THESE GUYS WERE DAYLIGHT IN FRONT OF EVERY-ONE ELSE THE ONLY DIFFERANCE TIGER WAS MENTALLY TOUGHER. SURE TIGER HASN’T DONE MUCH LATELY , BUT LETS CUT HIM SOME SLACK HE’S BEEN INJURED,BUT IT’S TIME FOR PHIL TO GET RID OF THE FALSE SMILE AND START PLAYING SOME DECENT GOLF . I KNOW EUROPEAN COURSES RE TO TOUGH FOR HIM BUT BACK HOME SHOULD SUIT.
hao dont write in caps it goves a headache
Kendrick, You probably shouldn’t jump on Hao when you have 6 errors in just nine words. (Must be a record.) Look up: upper case letters; contractions; apostrophes; comma splices and what makes an actual sentence. Also: look up periods and commas. Good luck….
Phil has been in the shadow of Tiger Woods for the past 15 yrs. He has ranked #2 on the OWGR List longer then any other Golfer since its conception.
However, Woods is far behind Mickelson when it comes to a good role model and family man.
Mickelson and Watson should draw a lot of attention during the 1st two Rounds. Good luck to both of them.
Cripes Shep we can all criticise writing and spelling. It is what people have to say that is important. But in HAOs case, he has been told endlessly to back off on the CAPS. He doesnt, and so in my view, he is rude.
To the subject, I dont know what lefty is like privately, but I have also watched him live and on TV and admire his attitude and personaly conduct, and love his golf. Go Phil.
Phil is a winner where it counts the most–off the golf course in the game of “life”. Tiger has proven that he will never come close to the top in that. I personally have a hard time cheering for any pro I don’t respect away from their chosen sport. Hence, go Phil!
Phil playing with Tom Watson is going to create an exciting buzz for this tournament! Great for the PGA tour and the Greenbrier!
Phil is the reason I am coming to the classic. He is a winner and my favorite. A good golfer, family man and an all around good man. I can not wait until Friday. Good Luck Phil
So far, he’s been in the fairway on back 9….it’s those second shots that are killing him. Perfect position and hit it 10 to 20 feet from the hole? Accuracy is killing him in my opinion. Put it at the flag, Phil! Go Phil!