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‘Heartbreaking' is the word that best describes what happened on the 72nd hole of the 2006 U.S. Open. Phil Mickelson, who was chasing his first U.S. Open and fourth major title, experienced a nightmare finish at Winged Foot. "I still am in shock that I did that, I just can't believe I did that. I am such an idiot," he famously said afterward. Mickelson stepped to the 450-yard par-4 18th needing a par to win and a bogey to tie. And, as we all now know, the unmentionable happened. RELATED: Tee times for Rds. 1 & 2 | Nine things to know about Winged Foot | Looking back at wild finish in 2006 The details of that final hole are well told. We saw a fan favorite carrying the weight of himself, his expectations, and the golf fans across the world. Every demon came out in the span of about 20 minutes. The risks never turned into rewards, aggressiveness never favored him, and desperation set in at the worst possible time. The U.S. Open is still the one major that stands between him and the career Grand Slam after a record six runners-up in his national championship. Mickelson is the epitome of constant evolution, a notorious searcher for what’s next. His equipment has evolved in parallel with his game and body over the years. As you can see below, the bag has changed quite a bit in 15 years. The more-traditional set up of 2006 has been replaced by a bag that’s designed for gapping, optimal launch conditions and plenty of options in the area where he might be the best ever: wedges. Since 2006, Mickelson has incorporated a higher-lofted wood in his arsenal, the now-famous 64-degree wedge, and combo iron sets. That's in stark contrast to his lifelong competitor, Tiger Woods, who is a staunch traditionalist and has only added a 5-wood to his bag over the years. Here is Phil Mickelson's WITB from the 2006 U.S. Open and what he's playing for the 2020 edition. 2006 U.S. Open Driver: Callaway FT-3 Tour (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 73X 3-wood: Callaway X (15 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana Blue Board 73X Irons: Callaway X Tour (2-PW) Shafts: Project X Rifle (Satin) 7.0 Wedges: Callaway X Forged (54, 60) Shafts: Project X Rifle (Satin) 7.0 Putter: Odyssey PM Proto Mallet Blade #9 Grips: Royal Grip Sand Wrap Ball: Callaway HX Tour 2020 U.S. Open Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (9 degrees) Shaft: KBS TD 70 C5 TX 3-wood: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero 3+ (13.5 degrees) Shaft: KBS TD 80 C5 TX 5-wood: Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero (18 degrees) Shaft: KBS TD 80 C5 TX Irons: Callaway Epic Forged (4-7), Callaway Apex MB (8-PW) Shafts: KBS Tour V 125 S+ (4-PW) Wedges: Callaway MD3 (56 degrees bent to 53.5), Callaway PM Grind '19 "Raw" (60-12, 64-10) Shafts: KBS Tour-V 125 S+ Putter: Odyssey WHXG Blade "Phil Mickelson" Grip: SuperStroke Pistol GT Tour Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft X (with Triple Track) Grips: Golf Pride MCC (White/Black)

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – His steady ball-striking has been a bit off. An ill-timed camera click contributed to a tee shot into a penalty area. And yet, Justin Rose leads the U.S. Open. Rose followed his first-round 65 with a 70 on Friday to sit at 7-under 135. He was the solo leader after the morning wave completed play. Rose, one of the game’s best iron players, has hit just 19 greens in the first two days. His short game, likely his most underrated skill, has saved him. Related: Leaderboard | Poor finish stalls Tiger run | Koepka: ‘I’ve got a chance’ “I’ll say my short game has been really, really strong this week,â€� he said. “I’ve made a lot of putts inside 10 feet. I’ve managed my game really well. I’ve missed it in the wrong spots. I’ve always given myself an opportunity to salvage something out of every hole I’ve played. And I haven’t compounded any mistakes so far.â€� His chipping and pitching has impressed one of the PGA TOUR’s short-game masters who witnessed it first-hand over the opening two rounds. “He’s chipping and putting beautifully, and not hitting it probably as well as he’d like to, and he’s still leading the U.S. Open,â€� said Jordan Spieth. “So that’s scary.â€� Rose has made just three bogeys this week. One of them came on the short fourth hole, where his tee shot sailed over the cliffs. Rose immediately turned toward the stands and told the fans that he heard their cameras click during his swing. Rose took the blame for the mishit, though. “Ultimately, I never really felt set on that shot,â€� he said. He spent time after the round trying to recalibrate his technically-sound swing. Rose was seen on the practice area past 4 p.m. Friday, well after he finished his round. Not that there should be too much cause for concern. He remembers fighting his swing during his U.S. Open win six years ago at Merion, as well. “I still remember working through the week with Sean (Foley, Rose’s swing coach) at Merion, I still wasn’t 100 percent dialed into my long game,â€� Rose said. “Sometimes, it’s nice to be in contention with things to work on going into the weekend. Sometimes, if you feel perfect after two days, it’s sometimes hard to keep that level every single day. So that could be similar.â€� Rose is trying to become the first reigning FedExCup champion to win the U.S. Open since Tiger Woods in 2008. Rose won on the California Coast earlier this year at the Farmers Insurance Open and ranks 10th in the FedExCup.

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SAN DIEGO – Jon Rahm should’ve been stressed standing over critical par putts midway through his second round at the U.S. Open but with his previous experience at the Farmers Insurance Open in his back pocket his heartrate never lifted. Rahm battled with his driver off the tee on Friday, finding just one fairway in the first 12 holes of his round, but used the rest of his skills to scratch out a 1-under 70 and move to 3-under just two back of morning wave pace-setter Richard Bland. RELATED: Full U.S. Open leaderboard | ‘It’s OK to not be OK sometimes’ As a previous winner at the PGA TOUR’s regular January stop on the same course (2017), Rahm had a comfort level others might not when it comes to the subtle breaks on the Torrey Pines greens. And sure enough, he drained momentum saving putts from 14-feet on the 10th, seven feet on the 11th and five feet on the 12th to rescue his chances of claiming a first major victory. “I just had to survive. I’ve got to say, that stretch of putts on 10, 11, 12 was key. Things could have taken a turn for the worse, and I was able to save three great pars in a row,” Rahm said. “The memory of some putts and some breaks can always help. Obviously, they’re rolling a little bit different, a little bit faster and you have to play a little bit more break, but in my case, the putt on 11, I knew it was straight. I’ve hit that putt before. I’ve missed it before. And like the putt on 10, I knew it broke a lot more than it looks.” It is this experience that meant it was no surprise for Rahm to see fellow former Farmers Insurance Open winner Bubba Watson (2011) shoot a 4-under 67 to join him at 3-under heading to the weekend. “I’ve played well here. This golf course is such a beast. Great putters don’t make as many putts because rumor is it bounces around these greens. I’ve got a chance on this course,” Watson said. “The golf course has definitely changed since I won ten years ago, but I can see some of the shots. I’m just hitting big slices, trying to get the ball in play, but I can see this golf course a lot better, and I got some confidence knowing that some areas are patchy, where you can play out of the rough when you miss the fairway.” For Rahm to continue to play stress free he knows he will have to start hitting the fairway more often – much like he did after the confidence building one putts. He only missed one in the final six holes. Prior to that he was missing predominantly to the left. “I feel like it looks worse than it really was. It’s easy to get a little bit tight on this golf course,” Rahm said. “All the shots, the start lines were proper, they just weren’t fading. I’m just not turning fast enough. (So) I just have to swing a little bit harder with the driver, and that’s exactly what I did starting on 13.” The Spanish star is not suggesting he’s owed anything from the unfortunate circumstance that saw him withdraw from the recent Memorial Tournament presented by Workday while leading by six with a round to play thanks to a positive COVID-19 test, but he did say he believes in karma as he looks to keep his form going this weekend. “I believe in karma in the sense that good things happen to good people,” Rahm smiled. “What happened a couple weeks ago is something I can’t control, unfortunately, but what I can do is control what I do every second of the day. Just following the routine, make sure I’m hydrated, make sure I’m eating, and make sure I’m thinking the right things out there on the golf course. So far I’ve done a great job, and hopefully I can keep going.” For Watson to keep it rolling he knows the key ingredients are having fun and then having focus at the right moments. He figures that’s what helped him where he is so far. “I was just kind of in the flow playing with two great guys, shooting the breeze, making fun of them and stuff, so it really took me out of my element. I didn’t know what they were shooting. They didn’t know what I was doing,” Watson laughed about his pairing with fellow Masters champions Adam Scott (+3) and Sergio Garcia (+3). With his last top-10 at a major coming in the 2018 Masters and his last top-10 at a major outside of the Masters way back at the 2010 PGA Championship where he was runner up Watson said he will stay relaxed by playing video games and staying happy. He had missed the cut in six of the last nine U.S. Open’s he’d played. “I enjoy (the added pressure). I’m striking the ball well. I’m actually going to practice some five-footers, and I’m going to hit some balls just a little bit just to make sure we’re doing what we want to do,” he added. “I think I’ve been playing well. I feel like I’m charging.”

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