In several ways the season has been a good one. After all Phil has earned over $3.3 million (ranked 7th). He has one victory (the Shell Houston Open), and he tied for 2nd at the British Open. Phil currently sits in 6th place in the World Golf Rankings. These statistics would certainly make the majority of PGA touring players very happy.

But for Phil - and the high standard he has set for himself (along with his fans) - the 2011 season seems to have come up a little short! For a world-class professional such as Mickelson, the money earned certainly is secondary to winning. As a fan, I was very hopeful that Phil would have a breakout year – considering that his primary nemesis – Tiger Woods, has either been injured, or quite honestly has played very poorly.

Instead Phil has managed - or perhaps mismanaged - his way through all four majors without a win. There have been times when he had opportunities: In the British Open Championship Phil started round four with a significant charge! He actually tied for the lead with Darren Clarke after Phil finished the 10th hole. But, like so many times over the years, Phil faded as the back nine unfolded.
In all four majors it seemed like whenever Phil started to climb up the leader board, he would make major mistakes. I don’t know how many double-bogeys Phil recorded in the four major tournaments this year, but it seemed like a lot!

Taking a positive approach, Phil Mickelson does have a short time to prepare for the FedEx Cup series. Currently Ranked 5th in FedEx Cup points, Lefty has a good opportunity to play well and win his first ever FedEx Cup. In order for that to happen, a simple look at the year-long statistics can provide some help to Phil in regards to his preparation: We all know that Phil can hit it a long way. He has averaged 300.1 yards per drive (ranked 22nd in this category). However, in driving accuracy Phil ranks 180th (hitting only 52.8% of the fairways this year). Clearly, Phil should spend considerable time working with his driver.

In Phil Mickelson’s younger days, he was known as a very good putter – who would occasionally miss a few short puts. During the 2011 season, Phil has become an average putter (ranking 73rd in Strokes Gained Putting). He has kept true to his reputation, and has missed quite a few short puts. When you are an excellent putter like Phil was early on, you can afford to miss a few short ones. However, when you are an average putter like Phil has been in 2011, you just can’t afford to miss short puts!

In other words, I believe that Phil only needs to take two clubs to the practice range the next few days; the driver and the putter! Making a few improvements with these two clubs could result in a strong showing in the playoffs for Phil! Winning the FedEx Cup could make all the difference for Phil in this challenging 2011 season!

The White Course still offered an exciting weekend, though, and provided a feel-good ending when Scott Stallings recovered from a front nine +4 to force a playoff with a birdie on the final hole, following that with another birdie on the first extra hole to beat Bill Haas and Bob Estes for his first PGA Tour victory. Stallings, Haas and Estes each shot -10 during regulation play.

This was the second year of PGA action at the famed Greenbriar Hotel resort and looks to be just the beginning of a long partnership. Designed and built at a time of lavish, architecturally driven golf courses in the early 20th century, the White Course compares favorably with such masterpieces as Riviera, Augusta and the Atlantic Athletic Club, host to the PGA Championship in two weeks time.

Although disappointed by missing the cut, Phil was still happy to have spent the week with his wife, Amy, and their three children in the natural beauty of the Greenbriar National Forest. The Mickelson family heads home to California for a couple days of rest and then on to Akron, Ohio, where Phil will compete in the WGC Bridgestone Invitational against a field that includes Tiger Woods, back in action since withdrawing from The Player’s Championship in May due to injury.

Landon Cocks (43) lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and is a lifelong golfer. Read more of his golfing thoughts and opinions at www.jlandoncocks.com

Phil Mickelson mounted a furious front nine charge - including four birdies and one eagle - on the final day that saw him at -6 after ten holes and tied for the lead before notching four bogeys on the back nine to fall back to -2 and a tie for second with Dustin Johnson, who was also neck and neck with Clarke for a time but lost his chance at a first major with an out of bounds shot on 14. It was Mickelson’s best finish in an Open Championship and - perhaps - the best performance on a links course in his career.

Not too long ago we discussed on this very website the question if Phil would ever become a good wind player. Last week he showed us that he already is among the very best…

A tournament already steeped in over a century of lore and memories, the Open of 2011 produced a few new images to add to the scrapbook of golf history. Miguel Angel Jiminez demonstrated the stretches that keep his joints warm while assuring us that he kept his “insides” warm with a cigar. U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, although finishing with a disappointing +7, spoke from the past in a touching childhood television appearance about his hero, Darren Clarke, and then got to watch his idol lift the Claret Jug. We didn’t get to see another miracle performance by Tom Watson this year but he did excite us again with a hole in one on Friday and, of course, the weather did its part by providing blistering morning wind followed by sunny afternoon calm mixed with “sharp” rain throughout the tournament. Truly, one of the best Open Championships to be played in quite a while.

Local favorite Tom Lewis won the silver medal for low amateur by shooting a 65 on the first day before eventually succumbing to the difficult course with a final +9. Top rated Englishmen Luke Donald and Lee Westwood missed the cut along with Clarke’s fellow Northern Irishmen Graeme McDowell and Padraig Harrington. It was Darren Clarke’s first major championship victory. All eyes now turn to the season’s final major, the PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, August 11-14.

Landon Cocks (43) lives in Cincinnati, Ohio and is a lifelong golfer. Read more of his golfing thoughts and opinions at www.jlandoncocks.com

Well, yes, but…Phil moved on past his somewhat mediocre Thursday to shoot a 67 during the second round and a 69 for the third and final round of the weather delayed warm-up to the Open Championship next week. Forget the numbers. He still didn’t win the tournament. What he did do, though, is remind us all of the courageous spirit that obviously still dwells in his champion’s heart. In danger of missing the cut, Phil stepped up and turned the bogeys into pars and the pars into birdies and an eagle, then finished the tourney in grand style by scoring four straight birdies on holes 18 through 3.

Like I said, he didn’t win…but he sure looked good not winning! One of the hardest things I have had to do lately is admit that Phil’s arthritis has changed his game. His “feel” around the greens has suffered particularly and that used to be the strongest aspect of his performance in any tournament. Okay, so he’s not that young, fresh-faced kid we all fell in love with back in the nineties, but he’s still Phil “The Thrill” and I’m convinced that he’s got a lot more thrilling to do before he hangs up his pitching wedge. I’m excited about the Open Championship. Go Phil!!

By the way, the tournament had to be shortened to 54 holes after torrential rainfalls rendered the course unplayable and wiped out play on Friday. World number one Luke Donald managed a convincing four-stroke victory over Sweden’s Frederik Andersson Hed at Castle Stuart Golf Links, thereby confirming his ranking atop the Official World Golf Ranking and his position as the clear favorite for this week’s British Open.

Being a left-handed golfer presents several considerable obstacles that need to be overcome.  First, until fairly recently, left-handed equipment was quite hard to come by.  I remember as a left-handed 13-year old caddy, the difficulty I had in trying to find left-handed clubs to play with.  Even more difficult is trying to find a qualified left-handed instructor!

Left-handed people make up about 13-15% of the population, whereas people who play golf left-handed are thought to comprise only around 2-3% of all golfers male and female.

Eventually I gave up, and learned to play right-handed. I am not alone.  Such well-known professional golfers such as Nick Price, Johnny Miller, and Curtis Strange are natural left-handers, but learned to play the game right-handed!

Because of these hurdles and others, truly great left-handed golfers are a rarity.  In the history of the PGA Tour, there are only nine left-handed golfers to ever win a PGA Tour event!

Of those nine, perhaps the first to become a well-known name around the world was Bob Charles.  Sir Robert James Charles who hails from New Zealand won the 1963 British Open Championship. This made him the first left-handed player to ever win one of golf’s four “Majors”. His career on the PGA Tour includes 6 championships. On the European PGA Tour he accumulated 4 wins to go along with 8 wins on the PGA Australasian Tour. In all (counting the PGA Senior Tour) Mr. Charles amassed 68 professional titles!

Canadian Mike Weir became the second left-handed player to win a major when he won the 2003 Masters.  Mike has put together a very respectable career which includes 8 PGA Tour wins and 7 other wins as a professional. The story is told that Mike learned to play with 7 hand-me-down clubs (3 woods and 4 irons), given to him by a relative.  When Mike was 12-years old he won a Junior Championship which had as first prize – a complete set of clubs.  This was the first complete set of golf clubs that Mike ever had!

In recent years Gerry “Bubba” Watson has emerged as a favorite on the PGA Tour.  His three wins to date have brought his name into the discussion on left-handed greatness. Bubba seems to have the attributes of the new generation of PGA stars.  He is one of the longest hitters to ever play the game.  In fact Bubba led the PGA tour his rookie season with an average distance of 316-yards!  His tall 6”3” frame and his aggressive play make him a favorite of many galleries.

People began to pay closer attention to Bubba after his 1-stroke victory over fellow lefty, Phil Mickelson in the 2011 Farmers Insurance Open.  Bubba is only 32-years of age and will hopefully continue to add to his ever improving resume, but he has a long way to go if he is going to reach some of the milestones set by Phil Mickelson. Watson has been in the spotlight again lately, but for the wrong reasons: After missing the cut at the French Open he complained about the behavior of the local fans, lack of security and showed a lack of knowledge about the world famous French landmarks like the Eiffel tower or the Louvre…

Phil Mickelson has long been one of the most popular golfers on the PGA Tour.  His respect for golf and his fellow competitors have always been evident.  The fact that Phil and his wife are very active in charitable work, only adds to his stature among players.

Phil entered the golfing scene at a young age and had a stellar armature career.  Phil was the NCAA individual champion 3-times.  He also won the U.S. Armature.  Phil stepped into the spotlight by winning his first event as a professional, the 1991 Northern Telecom Open.

As far as total professional wins, Phil is actually second to Bob Charles.  But based on his four majors, being consistently in the top 10 in world ranking, and the fact that the majority of Mr. Charles’s wins came on the Senior Tour - we give the edge to Phil as the all time greatest left-handed golfer!

Some of the numbers are quite impressive.  Of the six major championships ever won by left-handed players, Phil has four of those wins! As seen in the chart below, of the 64 total wins all time by left-handed players on the PGA Tour, Phil owns 39 of those wins.  39 wins on the PGA Tour ranks Phil 10th in the all-time wins list (left or right-handed)!

Phil has won 7 times on the European Tour and also has 6 other global wins for a grand total of 51 professional championships.

Phil owns the dubious distinction of being ranked 2nd longer than any other player in the history of the World Golf Rankings!

In spite of significant hurdles, left-handed players do have a rich heritage that was blazed by great names like Bob Charles and Phil Mickelson.  These men are not only examples for young left-handed boys and girls to aspire to; they are also sterling examples of the type of individuals that make the game of golf great!

Please use the comment function to share your opinion about the best left-handed professional golfers of all time. Do you agree that Phil Mickelson should come out on top? Or is it time to move aside for someone like Bubba Watson?

I am very tall and therefore got great leverage, but muscle-wise I resemble a marathon runner rather than a sprinter: durable, but slow. I hit my driver only about 230 yards carry so swing speed has always been an issue for me. I am constantly on the lookout for tricks and tools that can help to get my club head speed up without having to spend the rest of my life in the gym.

A few weeks ago I got my hands on a tool called the Medicus PowerMeter. It is a little device you can easily fit on any club in your bag (well, I didn’t try it on my putter, but that wouldn’t make much sense, right?) and that tells you the clubhead speed for every shot you hit. Knowing your clubhead speed is essential if you want to increase it. You might discover that hitting it harder does actually decrease your clubhead speed and that control and balance are often more imporant than brute force. After hitting balls with that little thing of magic on two weekends I increased my driver clubhead speed by roughly 3-4 miles which should give me an additional 10 yards on every tee shot.

I can’t wait until I tee it up with my buddies again tomorrow Sounds interesting? You can purchase the Medicus PowerMeter on their website for only $19,95 and benefit from the following features:

• It works with your Driver, Fairway woods, and Irons
• The PowerMeter is easily interchangeable between clubs
• It tightly fits on any shaft size
• It is programmable to golfer & club specifications
• You can now achieve the ultimate swing
• It has a large, easy to read LCD
• 5 Stroke Programmable Memory
• Reads Clubhead Speeds and golf club swing speeds up to 145 MPH (233 kph)

If you have tried the Medicus PowerMeter or similar devices please share your experience through the comment function. Enjoy a longer walk to your golf ball!

The whole thing is endorsed by Callaway Golf but I thought I share it with all of you anyway. Enjoy!

Prior to the tournament Mickelson had stated that the tournament course at Restone Golf Club was too short for him. Fairways at Redstone Country Club narrow after approximately 285 yards, limiting power players like Mickelson to a 3-wood off the tee. Phil said he will play shots that might not make a lot of sense, all to get ready for Augusta National:

“It’s not going to be a course where I’m going to play the most strategic and expect to really score well,” he said. “I’m just not going to hit 3-woods off the tee and play that course strategically the week before Augusta. And then when it gets windy and I’m trying to hit high balls for Augusta, and it requires a low, knockdown shot … it’s not going to work.”

Well, it worked out just fine.

Phil was three over par after seven holes of his first round (he made bogey on his second and double-bogey on his seventh) but came storming back with a score of 23 under par over the next 65 holes. His weekend play was extremely impressive: On Saturday he was bogey-free and carded nine birdies to tie the course record with a 63. On Sunday he was in trouble early after two wild drives led to bogeys on hole two and three. Once again Phil managed to turn it around perfectly with powerful drives, accurate iron play and razor-sharp putting as he scored eight birdies over the next 15 holes that included five consecutive birdies from hole nine to thirteen.

Here are Phil’s scorecards for rounds three and four (in case you are wondering: the red figures are all birdies…):

And of course in typical Phil Mickelson fashion it wasn’t just his 39th career PGA Tour victory. Here is what happened with Phil BESIDES winning the tournament:

• Phil is now #3 in the World (of course that’s not including that he’s always #1 with us), now just behind Martin Kaymer #1, and Lee Westwood #2.

• Phil has FINALLY (and most deservingly) surpassed Tiger Woods (#7) in the World Gold Rankings for the first time since 1997 - the week before the Masters.

• Phil tied the course record with a 63 on Saturday: He did the same thing at the Bell South Classic in 2006. He also did win that tournament and went on the very next week to win his 2nd Masters tournament.

• This was Phil’s first win after turning the ripe old age of 40 last June.

• Phil has had at least one win per year in the last eight years – the longest active streak by anyone so far.

• Phil had 27 birdies this week - his all-time record is 31 in the 2006 Bell South Classic.

Please use the comment function to congratulate Phil on this great victory and to let us know how you feel about his chances for next week’s U.S. masters.

Thursday was by no means spectacular but a nice even round and with only seven shots off the lead I still could give hope (even if it was a tie for 86th place).  Friday’s bogey free day at least put him 8 off the lead with a round of 67.  It was quite a few back but there were still two days left.  After an uneventful front nine at the start of the third round, birdies at 14, 15 and 18 put Phil back in the quest – now a mere five shots off the lead. The anticipation of Sunday’s round is reaching the crescendo – you can almost, just almost smell the anticipation of victory over the salty sea air!

And then the final day – with Steve Marino holding on strong to the top spot, Phil’s 34 in the first nine holes again put us on the edge of the seat waiting, and waiting, wondering could this be the day for #50.

Then it was like in the blink of an eye, after the 11th hole birdie, things just continued to spiral down further and further which led to bogeys on two of the final five holes and no birdies to be seen.  We will have to wait yet for another week for Phil Mickelson’s 50th PGA Tour victory as he finished at -8 under – in a four-way tie for 9th position, which was no match for D.A. Points’ -15.

Points (and his partner in crime Bill Murray) led the field in an outstanding final round of 67 with a double eagle from the fairway on the 14th, and a less than perfect chest-pump with Murray.  They also paired to win as the Pro Am team, something Murray has been chasing since he started playing the AT&T.  It was Points’ first win on the PGA Tour in 128 starts which earned him a 2 year exemption and also a trip to his first Masters.

Phil, Augusta is only a little over 3 weeks away – a nice warm-up with a win at the Northern Trust would make your fans go crazy with anticipation for the Masters. Come on and show us what we all know you can do to us!

But let’s take a closer look at Phil Mickelson’s play: Phil’s opening round of 67 was pretty good - and even though his opening and finishing holes were bogeys, he still had a score at -4 which put him in contention to start.  Then round two, SO much better – 7 birdies and 1 bogey – and a nice and shiny 65.  And did the 100,000 plus fans love that 32 foot putt on the 16th – oh, yeah!!  Things were looking up in Phil’s old stomping grounds in Arizona.  However it was already Saturday with two rounds to go.

The third round on Sunday was a barely break-even round for Phil, making only 1 birdie and a follow-up bogey on the front nine.  Then another give & take on 14 and 15 was followed with a promising birdie on 16.  And then the 17th hole came up:  A double bogey from within the 3 foot range just kind of knocked the wind out of him and he wound up with a 71 for round three.

The front nine in the final round came and went so fast with nothing but a birdie on the par-5 3rd hole. Then after a birdie on 10, a bogey on 12 and another birdie on 15, pretty much about 20 something other guys had passed Phil by.  And to make matters worse a bogey-bogey finish on 17 and 18 just was the final dagger in the heart and suddenly it was a 29th place finish.

But as they say, its already Monday and time to get on the road to Pebble Beach, one of Phil’s favorite places. Let’s hope the frost thaws out on those clubs and lets him bring home some crystal for Amy’s mantle!