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Extra practice yields results for Mickelson Left-hander overcomes 3-stroke deficit to win By Dave Lawrence Sports Editor RICHMOND – After playing two rounds, 36 holes, of golf Saturday, Phil Mickelson would not have been blamed for calling it a day. But Mickelson, in his rookie year on the PGA Champions Tour, wasn’t happy sitting 3 strokes back of leader Mike Weir before Sunday’s final round of the Dominion Energy Charity Classic at the Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course. So, instead of heading back to the hotel, Mickelson went to the driving range to work on his swing. The extra practice helped. Mickelson went from 3 strokes back of Weir to 3 strokes ahead to claim his second Champions Tour win of the season. “I didn’t strike it as well as I wanted to yesterday and I wanted to just get the timing back,” Mickelson said. “I had been hitting the ball really well coming in at points, but – especially with the irons – I
last night. Kind of finding that rhythm and finding that swing that I wanted.” Mickelson maintained his reputation as a long hitter, averaging 299.7 yards over the three rounds. “It’s a huge – yeah, big – advantage when you’re carrying the ball that far,” Weir said of Mickelson. “I kind of knew that going into this week. I felt as wet as it was, the longer players were going to have a nice advantage because there’s no run on the ball. … Yeah, I think anytime you have length like that, we see in the way the game’s played now, it’s a big advantage.” While Mickelson finished with a 17-under-par 199, he struggled throughout the tournament to hit the greens in regulation. He hit 39-of-54 greens for a 72.2 percentage and a tie for 34th place among the tournament field. One of the shots Mickelson had to overcome was a wayward tee shot on the ninth hole. “That kind of fried me a little bit,” Mickelson said. “I was able to play a good back nine, but you can’t, you can’t make those mistakes. And I Dave Lawrence/The Local was lucky to get away with it Phil Mickelson (right) and Retief Goosen (center) watch as Mickelson’s tee shot flies downrange on the 16th hole in the Dominion because I came back and played Energy Charity Classic at the Country Club of Virginia’s James River Course Sunday,. Mickelson overcame a 3-stroke deficit to well. That’s something I’ve been beat fellow lefty Mike Weir with a 17-under-par 199. Weir finished with a 14-under 202. working on and it will give me ended up improving on some and I hit it in there 5 feet – that something to work on here in didn’t quite yesterday, in yes- to work on. “So, I just kind of found the shots. I think like the shot on was a really good shot to have the coming weeks as we head terday’s 36-holes, play as well as I wanted to. I hit some shots rhythm a little bit and tried to 4 where I hit an 8-iron where the confidence to take on that that weren’t okay, that I needed incorporate that today. And I there’s water tight to the pin pin. And that comes from, like, see PRACTICE, pg. 21
The Mechanicsville Local
October 21, 2020
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