In the Bag: Mickelson and Gallacher

Phil Mickelson flirted with every record in the history books en route to taking his third Phoenix Open title in a wire-to-wire victory at Scottsdale.

The Californian could not have been closer to becoming the sixth player in Tour history to card a 59 when his putt at the 18th horseshoed out of the hole.

Twenty four hours later, and with the chance to again re-write the record books by shooting the lowest 36-hole score of all time, Mickelson pulled his 3-wood off the tee and dumped it in the drink.

But it’s okay, because on Sunday he had the chance to break Mark Calcavecchia’s tournament record of 28-under – but left himself a lengthy putt at 18 and was content with just matching it.

Still, the 42-year-old can console himself with a four-stroke win over Brandt Snedeker and the $1.16million first prize.

“It’s an important one for me, because it's been a while since I won, been a while since I’ve been in contention,” Mickelson said. “I was certainly nervous heading into today. I think the thing I’m most excited about was the way I was able to regain control of my thoughts after a few shots early on that I didn’t care for.”

And while every club in Mickelson’s bag proved to be on fire – it was his new Callaway RAZR Fit Xtreme driver which gained most attention.

The left-hander averaged 298 yards off the tee – including a 358-yard monster during the second round.

“This driver spins so low that I can have more loft on the club, making it easier to hit,” he said. “This has got to be good for every player – but it sure as heck is good for me!

“And by having a low-spin driver with enough loft - and because it’s that RAZR Fit Xtreme where you can fit it - I was able to get it dialed in to where it goes straight. But I’m able to make the same golf swing as my irons so you’ll see me extend down the target line, you won’t see this kind of tilt because it’s not enough loft to get up and it’s not low enough spin to not float. It really could be a revolutionary club for me.”

What’s in Mickelson’s bag?

Driver: Callaway RAZR Fit Xtreme (9.5 degrees; Mitsubishi Rayon Fubuki K. 059 prototype model 70X shaft)
Fairway Woods: TaylorMade RocketBallz 3-wood (11.5 degrees) and Titleist 980F 5-wood (17-degree; Graphite Design PM 902 shaft)
Irons (4-PW): Callaway RAZR X (Muscleback; True Temper Project X 7.0 shafts)
Wedges: Callaway Jaws Wedges (52-, 60- and 64-degree)
Putter: Odyssey Black Series Tour Design #9
Ball: Callaway HEX Black Tour

For the second week in a row on the European Tour it was an eagle that snatched the title.

Following Chris Wood’s superb three at the par-5 18th in Qatar last week, Stephen Gallacher holed out from 120-yards at the par-4 16th to finally end the resolute challenge of Richard Sterne.

The pair leapfrogged each other for much of the round until the 38-year-old sealed his second European Tour title – and his first since the 2004 Dunhill Links, some 404 starts ago – with his fifth eagle of the week.

“I’ve holed five shots this week,” said Gallacher, “but you’ve got to do that these days to win – you need that little bit of magic.

“It’s taken a long time, but it’s sweeter now. Hopefully I’m maturing with age!”

The win also continued TaylorMade’s good start to the season, with the new R1 having already driven Dustin Johnson to victory at the Tournament of Champions.  

Scot Gallacher was fourth in driving distance, averaging 298 yards off the tee – just a single yard less than Mizuno’s Ricardo Gonzalez in first place. 

Inside Gallacher’s TaylorMade bag

Driver: TaylorMade R1
Fairway Wood: TaylorMade Rocketballz Tour (17.5-degree)
Hybrid: Adams Idea Pro VST (21-degree)
Irons (3–PW): TaylorMade Tour Preferred Forged MB
Wedges: TaylorMade xFT TP and Callaway X Forged
Putter: Scotty Cameron Select
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Shoes: Adidas adizero

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