Mark Hubbard uses unique putting grip at The American Express

After a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hero World Challenge returns to Albany Golf Club in The Bahamas. Hosted by Tiger Woods, the event features a top-tier field of FedExCup champions, TOUR stars, and global notables. FIELD NOTES AND STORYLINES: Past FedExCup champions Rory McIlroy (2016, ’19), Jordan Spieth (2015), Justin Thomas (2017), Justin Rose (2018) and Henrik Stenson (2013) are teeing it up… Collin Morikawa, fresh off a victory at the DP World Tour Championship that made him the first American to claim the Race to Dubai, is the highest-ranked player in the field at No. 2 in the world ranking… Spieth will tee it up for the first time since becoming a father (a son, Sammy, was born Nov. 14). He won this event by 10 shots in 2014 when it was contested at Isleworth, setting the stage for his historic 2015 that saw him win two majors and the FedExCup… Viktor Hovland is teeing it up globally for the first time since his repeat win at the World Wide Technology Championship at Mayakoba… The past three winners of THE PLAYERS – Thomas, McIlroy and Webb Simpson – are in the field. Also present are the past two Olympic gold medalists (Rose and Xander Schauffele); former Masters champion Patrick Reed; Abraham Ancer, winner of the World Golf Championship-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and two-time TOUR winner Sam Burns (who didn’t finish outside the top 15 in any of his four starts this fall)… Burns is the highest-ranked player in the FedExCup in the field. He’s second in the season-long race behind Talor Gooch. Hovland is ranked fifth, while McIlroy, winner of THE CJ CUP @ SUMMIT, is ninth… Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau are both in the field after Friday’s match in Las Vegas, which Koepka won handily… While Woods is not playing, he will likely command a lion’s share of the attention if he is on-site as host. He has not appeared at a tournament or addressed the media since his accident. He recently posted on social media a video of himself swinging a golf club with the caption “Making progress.” FEDEXCUP: No FedExCup points are awarded at the Hero World Challenge; however, four past FedExCup winners are in the field, along with Sam Burns who sits second in the current standings. World-ranking points will be awarded. COURSE: Albany Golf Course, par 72, 7,309 yards (yardage subject to change). Now in its sixth year as host, the Ernie Els-designed Albany GC boasts a linksy look, windswept dunes, and strategic water hazard placements. The average winning score over the last five Hero World Challenge events at Albany has been a hair short of 20 under. 72-HOLE RECORD: 262, Jordan Spieth (2014). Albany record: 263, Bubba Watson (2015) 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Rickie Fowler (fourth round, 2017) LAST TIME: Henrik Stenson won in 2019 to become the third non-American winner of the Hero World Challenge in the past four years. The event — cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic — saw Stenson top defending champion Jon Rahm by one shot. Stenson’s victory was his first since the 2017 Wyndham Championship. He delivered the knock-out blow with an eagle on the par-5 15th. Four golfers had a share of the lead on the back nine in the final round before Stenson ripped a 5-wood from 259 yards to within 8 inches of the cup. Rahm was looking to become the first back-to-back winner of the Hero since Tiger Woods (2006-07) but finished one shot back. Patrick Reed finished third, while Woods – the tournament host – finished fourth. Eleven of the Americans in the field, including Woods, would go on to board a charter flight to Australia to compete in the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, which the U.S. Team won after a spirited comeback in Sunday Singles. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. ET (Golf Channel). Saturday, 12 p.m.-2:30 p.m. (Golf Channel), 2:30 p.m.-5 p.m. (NBC). Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. (Golf Channel), 1 p.m.-4 p.m. (NBC)

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PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – Tim Mickelson is seven years younger than his 48-year-old brother Phil. Having the advantage of youth, however, does not give him the advantage in flexibility. “His flexibility is really good,� Tim said. “It’s a lot better than mine, which is sad.� Phil’s flexibility was certainly evident in his video commercial last year, which showcased a series of contortionist dance moves while wearing a button-down shirt. His flexibility is a huge reason why Phil has won twice in the past 11 months, including Monday’s two-hole finish at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am when he became the tournament’s oldest winner, three shots ahead of playing partner Paul Casey. It’s also why 2019 could turn into a hugely rewarding year, especially if Mickelson can return here in June to win the U.S. Open and complete the career slam. At an age where most pro golfers have suffered a dramatic fall-off, circling the date until they no longer have to compete against the youngsters, Mickelson obviously still has the game to maintain his lofty standards. Besides his two wins, he also tied for second last month at the Desert Classic. Thanks to improved eating habits and a dedication to keep his body pliable, he is having a renaissance moment. “It’s a lot more work and effort to play at this level,� Phil said. “I have believed for some time that if I play at my best, it will be good enough to win tournaments here. The challenge is getting myself to play my best. “It’s a lot more work off the course, it’s more time in the gym, it’s more time eating, it’s more time focusing – it’s all these things that go into it, and so it’s very gratifying to see the results and to finish it off the way I did.� Historically, noted Mickelson, players in their 40s see two things decline – putting and swing speed. His goal was to avoid both problems, and thus far he’s been successful. Mickelson ranked ninth in Strokes Gained: Putting in the 2015-16 season and was 13th last season. “The best it’s been in my 25, 28-year career,� he said of his putting. He’s also made a dramatic improvement in his swing speed. Two years ago, he ranked 91st in clubhead speed at 114.24 mph. Last year, he was 54th in 116.49. He arrived at Pebble Beach a week ago ranked 13th at 121.68. In Sunday’s final round, he averaged 118.656 mph, which was sixth in the field. The swing speed has given him extra distance and increased confidence off the tee. “It’s not really a secret,� Mickelson said. “It was nine months of hard work, and then overnight I was swinging six mph faster. … It was biometric swing studies of my swing, taking weaknesses and making them strengths. It was time in the gym. It was a whole workout process. It’s been a lot of work, but days like this make it worthwhile.� Phil had no choice if he wanted to compete with the youngsters who could knock it long. Much like Tom Brady seems to defy the aging process as an NFL quarterback, Mickelson is doing the same on the PGA TOUR. “Any athlete, as they get older, has to be smarter with how they treat their body,� his brother Tim said. “Whether that’s nutrition, how they stretch. You look at guys in other sports – Tom Brady, Phil here, other golfers too. They have to in order to keep up.� Of course, it helps that this tournament, and especially Pebble Beach Golf Links, is a great fit for Mickelson. His five AT&T Pebble Beach wins matches Mark O’Meara for most in tournament history, and he now has 14 wins in his native state. His ability to navigate the course serves him well in key spots. He knows he can miss far left at No. 6 in order to avoid the water – which he did on Sunday when he knocked his tee shot off the dome in the grandstands. And on his approach at the par-4 13th, he opted to chase a low-lining 7-iron to the pin instead of trying to spin back a wedge shot to a pin located on high ground. On Monday, the gameplan was simple after he parred the 17th and took a three-shot lead into 18. He played conservative off the tee with an iron but still birdied the hole after a great approach from 138 yards finished inside 7 feet. The final birdie left him at 19 under, with a career total of 149 under since his first win on this course in 1998. Asked if Pebble Beach was the best course on TOUR that suits his brother’s game, Tim replied: “There may be better courses but certainly there’s a comfortability for him on this course. He knows where he can miss it, where he can’t miss it.� Phil was asked the same question. “I would have a hard time arguing another course does. Maybe Augusta.� But not even Augusta National can match Pebble Beach in terms of the Mickelson family’s legacy. It’s only at Pebble Beach that Phil carries a silver dollar from the year of his grandfather’s birth as a ballmarker. His grandfather was one of the original caddies when Pebble Beach opened in 1919. As they walked toward the 18th green Monday, Phil showed Tim the silver dollar. No words were exchanged. They knew how much it meant for the family. “This really is a special place for me,� Phil said. It could get even more special when he returns in June.

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Tiger Woods feels a special energy around the Old Course at St. Andrews. He has referred to it throughout his career as his favorite course in the world. He has won two Open Championships there. This summer, he has made the 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews his priority. Woods traveled to Europe a week early for this week’s JP McManus Pro-Am at Adare Manor GC in Ireland, and he said Tuesday that his decision to not compete at last month’s U.S. Open was made with an eye ahead. “I had some issues with my leg, and it would have put this tournament in jeopardy, and so there’s no reason to do that,” Woods told reporters Tuesday. “This is a pretty historic Open that we are going to be playing. I’m lucky enough to be part of the past champions that have won there, and want to play there again, and I don’t know when they are ever going to go back while I’m still able to play at a high level. “I want to be able to give it at least one more run at a high level.” Woods has competed in five previous Open Championships at St. Andrews. His eight-stroke victory in 2000 was his second of four consecutive major titles in what is known as the “Tiger Slam.” His two-stroke victory at St. Andrews in 2005 was his second of three Open Championship titles; he also won in 2006 at Royal Liverpool. Woods’ first Open Championship appearance came in 1995 at St. Andrews. He made the cut as an amateur and finished T68. He finished T23 at St. Andrews in 2010 and missed the cut in 2015. “I’ve always loved this golf course, from the first time I played it back in ’95,” Woods said at the 2015 Open at St. Andrews. “I just love the creativity. You have to be able to hit all different types of shots. You need to have the right angles. Over the years of learning how to play the golf course under all different types of wind conditions, it changes greatly, and it’s based on angles. You have to put the ball on certain sides of the fairways in order to get the ball close. “To me, that type of thinking and the strategy that goes into that is something I’ve always loved.” After suffering severe injuries to both legs in a single-car accident in February 2021, Woods made his competitive return at this year’s Masters, making the cut and finishing solo 47th. He also made the cut at the PGA Championship in May but withdrew after a third-round 79; he had cited leg soreness after the round. Woods considered competing at last month’s U.S. Open at Brookline but withdrew prior to the tournament. He tweeted the week prior to the event that his body needed more time to get stronger for major championship golf. He flew to Ireland for this week’s two-day JP McManus Pro-Am, held Monday and Tuesday, and he plans to spend time practicing off-site before traveling to St. Andrews. “If you asked me last year whether I would play golf again, all of my surgeons would have said no,” Woods said Tuesday. “But here I am playing two major championships this year. I will always be able to play golf, whether it’s this leg or someone else’s leg or false leg or different body pieces that have been placed or fused. I’ll always be able to play.” For the chance to play next week at St. Andrews, he is very grateful.

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