Champ to caddie: Hovland helps pal’s Open bid

There are few things as comforting as seeing Phil Mickelson stalking the fairways of Pebble Beach. For some reason, Mickelson and the Monterey Peninsula just make sense. The California native made his pro debut in the 1992 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach and he's played the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am since 1995. He's a five-time winner at Pebble Beach, most recently in 2019, and finished third here last year at the age of 49. He's been playing the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am for so long that he's competed against players born in every decade from the 1920s (Arnold Palmer) to the 2000s (Akshay Bhatia, who's playing this week on a sponsor exemption). As with any great player, it's always interesting to look at the evolution of his equipment. In Mickelson's case, his equipment setup has evolved since his second win at Pebble Beach in 2005, when he bested Mike Weir by four strokes. You can learn a lot about how Mickelson's mind works digging into his bag. These days, the top of the bag is built for long, unapologetic missile launching and the bottom is an artist's toolbox built for variety and satisfying every creative whim. As you will see from 2005 to now, the top of the bag stayed fairly traditional, and as time went on, hybrids, 5-woods, and utility irons found their way in. The wedge set up has always stayed quintessentially Phil, however. Let’s take a look at what he had the bag for three of his wins (2005, '12, '19) and what he has in play today. 2021 Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (8 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X 2-wood: TaylorMade "Original One" Mini Driver Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X 4-wood: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (16.5 degrees) Shaft: KBS TD 80 C5 TX Irons: Callaway Epic Forged (4), Callaway Apex MB ‘21 (5-PW) Shafts: KBS Tour V 125 S+ Wedges: Callaway PM Grind '19 "Raw" (54-10, 60-12, 64-10) Shafts: KBS Tour-V 125 S+ Putter: Odyssey Milled Blade "Phil Mickelson" Grip: SuperStroke Pistol GT Tour Grips: Golf Price MCC Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X with Triple Track 2019 Driver: Callaway Rogue Sub Zero (9 degrees) Shaft: Project X HZRDUS T1100 3-wood: Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero (13.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Fubuki J 80 X Irons: Callaway X Forged UT (4,5), Callaway Apex MB ‘21 (6-PW) Shafts: KBS Tour V 125 Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind 19 (54-10, 60-12, 64-10) Shafts: KBS Tour V 125 Putter: Odyssey Versa No. 9 White Grip: SuperStroke Slim 3.0 Grips: Golf Pride MCC Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X (with Triple Track Technology) 2012 Driver: Callaway RAZR Fit (9.5 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC7.2 X 3-wood: Callaway Big Bertha Diablo (15 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Rombax 80 X Hybrid: Callaway X Prototype (19 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Fubuki 73 X Irons: Callaway X-Forged CB (4,5), Callaway RAZR X MB (6-P) Shafts: Project X 7.0 Wedges: Callaway X Series Jaws (52@54, 60, 64) Shafts: Project X 7.0 Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG PT82 Grips: Golf Pride MCC Ball: Callaway Hex Black Tour 2005 Driver: Callaway Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design PM Proto 70 X 3-wood: Callaway Big Bertha WarBird 4+ (16 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design PM Proto 80 X Irons: Callaway X-Tour (3-PW) Shafts: Project X 7.0 Wedges: Callaway Vintage Forged (52, 56, 60) Shafts: Project X 7.0 Putter: Odyssey PM Proto Milled Blade Grips: Royal Grip Sand Wrap Ball: Callaway HX Tour 56

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Five players are tied for the lead. They’ve all won majors before. That doesn’t even count Tiger and D.J. Buckle up, this could get good.

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