Despite tough finish, Mickelson says changes already helping  PGATOUR.com Contributor IRVING, Texas -- It didn't end well. Three iron shots flew over greens. His tee shot at the 18th dove into the lake. And a field goal chip to a slap-in for bogey at the final hole.  Phil Mickelson didn't get all he wanted out of his round on Thursday. (Badz/PGA TOUR/WireImage)
What could have been for Phil Mickelson wasn't. He was 4-under par through 14 holes at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship and finished 1 under. Not horrible. Not what he'd hoped. Not the way he wanted to open up his shortened-swing, find-the-fairways relationship with Butch Harmon. But to answer your question, yes. The changes are working. Whatever they are. Mickelson's lips were sealed after the round. He talked, but not much about those changes. "I'd rather not,'' Mickelson said. So whatever they are, are they working so far? "I'm pleased so far, yeah,'' he said. Mickelson, winner of the 1996 EDS Byron Nelson Championship, made the official change from long-time swing guru, friend and business partner Rick Smith to Harmon through a Monday press release. One of the worst-kept secrets in the game, the change allows a fresh set of eyes on a swing that led to Mickelson's meltdown at the 2006 U.S. Open. Harmon said we would notice the shortening immediately, but that shortening wasn't the goal. Instead, it was a byproduct of some other mechanical changes they were working on. For 14 holes Thursday at the TPC Las Colinas course, the changes fell into place. "I felt that I drove it much better, which was a good sign,'' Mickelson said after his opening round. "Hopefully as the week goes on, I'll improve and get better, and as the month goes on and so forth.'' So why, some ask, would someone who just won three majors in less than two years change his swing? Well, Tiger Woods did the same thing after winning eight majors with Harmon. He's now won four working with Hank Haney -- two each in 2005 and 2006. Yes, change can be good. Mickelson may be mum about what he's working on, but he always is. Things were looking up after he won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and lost a playoff at the Nissan Open. He hasn't finished in the top 10 since. And his tie for 24th at the Masters? He has only finished out of the top 12 once since 1994 -- when he missed the 1997. The collaboration began with a quick visit months ago and was looking good Thursday morning. Mickelson was 3 under at the turn, 4 under after a 10-footer for birdie at the 14th. Then, he flew the green at the 15th and failed to get up and down. He missed the green at No. 17 and three-putted for bogey. Then there was the drive into the water at No. 18, another approach blown over the green and a 12-footer for bogey. Mickelson signed autographs to shake off the finish, then answered questions -- everything from why he missed his Wednesday pro-am tee time to Byron Nelson to those top-10 players who took the week off. He played in an outing in Little Rock Tuesday, but severe storms moved through the Dallas area Tuesday night, closing the airport. The same storms, he said, closed Little Rock's airport. ''We ended up sitting on the runway for a couple hours and then decided to stay over,'' he said. Although players can be disqualified for missing pro-am times, Mickelson wasn't "because the rules make exceptions for that.''
Mickelson said it was sad not to see Nelson, who passed away in September, sitting in his customary spot at the 18th when he finished. "I really miss him,'' he said. "I didn't get a chance to see him very often, a couple times a year, but I really miss him, and the game of golf really misses him, too. But I don't think he's very far away from us. We still have all the great memories he's provided.'' And, he added, the legacy he left behind. "I love obviously his record; the way he played was incredible,'' Mickelson said. "But I thought the way he acted as a true professional, the way he treated people, he was really a model for everyone to follow.'' Other than that, Mickelson kept his thoughts to himself. The swing is a work in progress we'll follow. No matter what he doesn't say about it. He did say, before exiting, he's looking forward to playing the Cottonwood Valley course, considered the easier of the two, Friday. And -- it goes without saying -- a better end to that day. Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. |
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