Sorry, Tiger and Phil, these are the matches we’d rather see

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Phil Mickelson’s dream of a career Grand Slam has survived its first hurdle but the veteran will need an incredible weekend if he is to triumph at the U.S. Open. Mickelson is a former winner at the Masters (2004, 2006, 2010), the Open Championship (2013) and the PGA Championship (2005) but is a six-time runner up at his national championship. He now craves one thing above all others, a U.S. Open title to complete the slam. He would become just the sixth player to win all four events at least once joining Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. Having shot an opening 1-over 72 on Thursday, Mickelson needed to play well just to ensure weekend play. He energized the California crowd with a charge into contention during Friday’s second round only to falter late. The 48-year-old was 4-under on the day through 14 holes to get within four of the lead at the time before bogeys on the 15th and 17th holes left him to sign for a 2-under 69 and 1-under total. It leaves him eight shots back from Gary Woodland’s 36-hole lead after his fellow American birdied three of his last five holes to get to 9-under. Any comeback therefore is a tough proposition, yet not impossible. Lou Graham came from 11 shots back at the halfway point to win at Medinah in 1975. Mickelson is no stranger to success on this course having won the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am five times, including earlier this season. “I’ve played this course for so many years, and I know how to shoot under par on it,â€� he said following his opening round. Now he has to balance the sense of urgency in trying to win before his best golf is behind him with what will likely be tougher weekend conditions. “Certainly that’s going to be important. But the good news for me is I’m playing really well,â€� Mickelson adds. “It’s the best I’ve played in a long time, certainly since the start of the year. If I’m patient, I’ll get better as the week goes on. The goal is just to get within striking distance for Sunday.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

With a buddy on the bag and fresh off receiving the Jack Nicklaus Award in Columbus, Ohio, on Sunday, celebrated amateur and Florida State standout John Pak is making his professional debut at this week’s Palmetto Championship at Congaree — and he’ll do so as a TaylorMade staffer, the company announced today. College golf’s top player, Pak has played TaylorMade gear and a Titleist ball since his amateur days. And as we found out from Ryan Ressa, TaylorMade’s player development manager, who has worked with Pak since he was in his early teens, it’s not surprising Pak will continue with the same bag setup and ball combination as he joins the professional ranks. The Scotch Plains, New Jersey, native is an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” kind of guy when it comes to his equipment, which is a trait Ressa sees among many of the game’s best. (Another TaylorMade staffer Tiger Woods, for one, comes to mind). Ressa and TaylorMade have had a relationship with Pak for nearly a decade, and it’s Ressa’s job to not only make sure Pak is in the right equipment for his game but is also navigating the matrix of amateur competitions, college, and the decision to turn pro successfully. According to Ressa, Pak, and other junior standouts, need new equipment, or at least a fitting, roughly every six months as their bodies and swings change. Even so, while he’s transitioned into new fairway wood models as they’ve become available, the DNA of Pak’s bag has stayed largely the same. “Jon is a very simple guy when it comes to equipment, and he doesn’t do a lot of tinkering outside of driver shafts,” Ressa said. “Deep down, he’s a great competitor. He just loves to compete and is focused on getting the ball in the hole. He’s stayed really, really consistent with the look of his irons, the loft of his wedges, and his bag setup. He’s been easy to work with and only needs one or two visits per year to get squared away.” All of this dovetails with the swing Pak has built with coach Sean Hogan, says Ressa. Pak’s action is tight, consistent, and repetitive with simple checkpoints to get back in sync when things go slightly awry. According to Ressa, when it comes to hitting the ball straight, Pak is “on another level.” Digging into the specifics of his bag: As mentioned, Pak regularly levels up into the latest generation of TaylorMade woods and usually makes the switch quickly after launch. He played the P750 irons — which Jon Rahm was in for years, as well as Collin Morikawa — before switching into the cavity-back P7MC. A few other notes: Pak has historically moved between a half-mallet TaylorMade putter model and a Spider (he’s in the Spider X Copper currently), and he plays the standard bounce on his wedges (no unique sole grinds here). Check out Pak’s full line up clubs below. WHAT’S IN THE BAG: JOHN PAK Driver: TaylorMade SIM2 Max (9 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD IZ 5 S 3-wood: TaylorMade SIM2 Max (15 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7 X Utility: TaylorMade TP UDI (2) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 95 X Irons: TaylorMade P7MC (3-9) Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 125 S Wedges: TaylorMade MG2 (48, 50, 54, 58 degrees) Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 Putter: TaylorMade Spider X Copper (slant neck) Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Grip: Golf Pride Z Grip Cord

Click here to read the full article…

Click here to read the full article…