English, Kuchar smash records in Shootout win

Click here to read the full article…

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Big round numbers were the hot topic of conversation as Phil Mickelson met the media before the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Wednesday. That, and a little, black scooter he was presented to mark his 30th start in the event, one of his two hometown tournaments. Mickelson, 48, first played here as an amateur sensation out of Arizona State in 1989, and has since won it three times (1996, 2005, 2013). 
“I just can’t believe that it’s been 30 years,â€� he said. “It just has gone by so fast.â€� Mickelson is coming off a T2 at the Desert Classic two weeks ago, when he flirted with a 59 but settled for a 60 in the first round. He is enjoying a mini-career revival, which he credits in part to increased swing speed after leading the field in driving distance (302.5 yards on all tee shots) in the desert. The gain has been surprising given that he’s the oldest player in many fields. He also has enjoyed an uptick in his short game. He was around the lead in Strokes Gained: Putting for much of last season, when he broke a nearly five-year win drought with his playoff victory over Justin Thomas at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. It was in the afterglow of that win, Mickelson’s 43rd, that he issued a brash prediction: Q. You’re seven away from 50 PGA TOUR wins. Do you think you can get there? MICKELSON: Oh, I will, I’ll get there. Q. When? MICKELSON: I don’t know. Seven more wins and I’ll be there. I don’t have the month or the time, but I will get there. Today, not quite one year later, he’s having second thoughts. Asked at TPC Scottsdale whether he’s still sure he’ll get to 50, he dialed it back. The reason: The rest of 2018 didn’t go as planned. 

“I’ve got to be honest in my assessment of winning seven more times — is that realisticâ€� he said. “It’s certainly my goal and something I’m striving for and yet I know it’s not going to be easy. I don’t have the same, hundred percent I’m going to do this thing. I’m a little more realistic, because I really thought I was going to pick of off two or three more at the end of the year and I played terrible.â€� He made it to the season-ending TOUR Championship, but ran out of gas and finished last, then had a forgettable Ryder Cup in France. The good news, he added, was that he had a productive off-season in which he added speed and distance by stabilizing his core and retraining “the kinematic sequence of my golf swing.â€� He also has begun seeing a new nutritionist. “I think that I’m ready to start playing some of my best golf again,â€� Mickelson said. “I’ve had a massive jump in speed, which is a big thing, especially if you hit it crooked. If you’re going to hit it crooked you better not be short. That’s hopefully going to lead, along with the way I putted the last few years, it’s hopefully going to lead to a special year.â€�

Click here to read the full article…

Ryan Palmer … As the 31-seed, it’d be surprising if he wasn’t included here by default, but Medinah sets up well for the long hitter who ranks 48th in greens in regulation. But the 42-year-old isn’t a two-trick pony. He’s held true to his profile as a scorer at 18th in putting: birdies-or-better. It’s yielded six top 10s this season, the most recent of which a T7 at the Barracuda Championship three weeks ago. Scott Piercy … Attempting to get back to East Lake for the first time since 2015 when he finished third at the BMW Championship and rose 24 spots to 20th in points, he’s also seeking some redemption. In 2016, he teed it up as the 35-seed at the BMW at Crooked Stick and placed T24, tumbling to 37th in the FedExCup. Lo and behold, he’s slotted 35th again this week on the strength of a career-best six top 10s among a career-high-tying 20 cuts made. He’s 33rd in total driving, 11th in greens hit and T4 in par-3 scoring. Kevin Tway … The last time he appeared on this page, he won the Safeway Open to launch into the season as the first top seed in the FedExCup. He’s since drifted to his current position of 40th, up one slot after a T24 at THE NORTHERN TRUST where he had the putts rolling true. If he can sustain that form with the flat stick while sticking to his game as an aggressor on approach, he could be headed toward another special week. And with the promise of 16 par 5s over four loops of Medinah, it doesn’t hurt that the 31-year-old ranks T34 in par-5 scoring. Ryan Moore … All things considered, it’s been a predictably solid season for the 36-year-old. While he’s recorded only two top 10s, both were podium finishes. He had five top 10s last year and settled for 71st in the FedExCup. Currently seeded 49th, he’ll need better than a T18 to advance, but that was the result in his last two starts (John Deere Classic, THE NORTHERN TRUST), so confidence and execution are on the upswing. After leading the field in fairways hit and ranking T5 in greens in regulation at TPC Deere Run, he checked up at sixth in Strokes Gained: Tee-to-Green at Liberty National. Byeong Hun An … Representing the chip-and-a-chair contingent at Medinah, the 61-seed descended without touching the ground after revealing during his T38 at THE NORTHERN TRUST that his wife is pregnant with their first child. Since the current FedExCup Playoffs points structure was introduced in 2015, the highest seed to advance from the BMW Championship was Roberto Castro in 2016. He entered what was then the third leg of the series at 53th in points, finished solo third at Crooked Stick, and climbed to 21st. Medinah will reward powerful ball-strikers, so An deserves attention at 23rd in distance of all drives and eighth in Strokes Gained: Tee-To-Green. You also can’t rule out the early influence of the Nappy Factor.

Click here to read the full article…