MEMPHIS – Phil Mickelson never ceases to surprise anyone.
Whether with his trouble shots out of the trees, flop shots to the moon, deciding to lose 50 pounds or winning a major at 50, Mickelson has always been a star who attracts thousands of eyeballs.
So it should come as no surprise that Mickelson, who putted so well on his way to becoming the oldest male to win a major earlier this year in the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, broke out a new putting grip on Thursday.
In the first round of the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational at hot TPC Southwind, Mickelson employed the arm-lock method.
“When you’re trying to get better, you have to take risks,” Mickelson said. “And you have to try it out in competition.”
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Well, all the golf world knows Mickelson isn’t afraid to take on risks.
“Just thought I’d try it,” said Mickelson, who has five top-10s in nine starts – including a tie for second last year – and has ties for 11th and 12th at TPC Southwind. “I picked up the putter this past weekend and played with it a couple of days and it felt OK.”
As for the experiment in the first round, he said his new grip felt “so-so.” En route to shooting a 1-under-par 69 to stand seven shots behind pace-setter Harris English, Mickelson needed 29 putts and ranked 54th in the field of 66 in Strokes Gained: Putting.
“I’m not sold on it,” Mickelson said. “I haven’t tried it long enough to talk about it. I’m just trying to figure it out, the things I like about it and the things I don’t.”
Mickelson putted for nearly two hours after his round and went and got his old putter and did some work with both putters. Thus, he doesn’t know what putter – or grip – he will use in the second round.