Phil Mickelson led the field in greens in regulation and proximity to the hole at the WM Phoenix Open.
(Martin/Getty Images)

WEEKLY PERFORMANCE STATS ARCHIVE

Week 2: Sony Open in Hawaii

Week 3: Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation

Week 4: Farmers Insurance Open

In winning the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Phil Mickelson led the field in greens in regulation, hitting 63 of his 72 greens for 87.5 percent.

That's the 15th time in his 468 starts on the PGA TOUR that Mickelson has led the field in greens in regulation. Prior to Sunday, the last time he had done so was at the 2011 TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola.

Of those 15 times, Mickelson ended up winning the tournament seven times.

Just twice did he have a higher GIR percentage -- at the 2006 BellSouth Classic and the 2000 Invensys Classic at Las Vegas, when he hit 88.89 percent of his greens.

WHEN MICKELSON RANKS NO. 1 IN GIR
Here are the tournaments in which Phil Mickelson has ranked No. 1 in greens in regulation during his PGA TOUR career

By PGATOUR staff

With his victory at the 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open, Phil Mickelson ...

-- Earns 41st career PGA TOUR victory at the age of 42 years, 7 months and 18 days in his 468th TOUR event, 450th as a professional. Third victory since turning 40 in 2010.

-- Earns 500 FedExCup points and moves to No. 3 in the standings with 546 points. Brandt Snedeker leads with 782.

WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN VICTORY NOTES

-- Records third win (1996, 2005, 2013) in 24 starts, tying Mark Calcavecchia (posted third win in 15th start), Gene Littler (13th start) and Arnold Palmer (eighth start) for most wins at event. Has 10 top-10 finishes in 24 starts at the event.Equals Mark Calcavecchia’s 72-hole tournament record of 28-under 256, falling two shy of the all-time PGA TOUR record for 72-hole winning score (Tommy Armour, 26-under 254, 2003 Valero Texas Open).Since 1970, is just the second wire-to-wire winner of the event (Steve Jones/1997).

-- Opening-round 60 equaled Steve Stricker (2010 John Deere Classic) for lowest opening-round score by a winner in PGA TOUR history.

-- Becomes the fourth oldest winner of the event, trailing only Kenny Perry (48 years, 3 months, 21 days), Julius Boros (46 years, 11 months, 9 days) and Miller Barber (46 years, 10 months, 2 days).

-- Played the par-3s in 9-under this week, the best mark since the tournament moved to TPC Scottsdale in 1987. The previous record was 7-under, set by Chris DiMarco (2003) and Scott Hoch (1989).

-- With six wins, ties Johnny Miller for the most wins in the state of Arizona:

     -- Mickelson: 1996, 2005, 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open, 1991, 1995, 1996 Nortel Open
     -- Miller: 1974, 1975 Waste Management Phoenix Open, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1981 Tucson Open

CAREER NOTES

-- Has at least one victory each of the last 10 seasons on TOUR, which is the longest active streak (Dustin Johnson is second in the list with wins in his last six seasons).

-- Most years with at least one win on the PGA TOUR: Sam Snead (24), Jack Nicklaus (21), Phil Mickelson (20, which includes his win as an amateur in 1991).

-- Records third-career wire-to-wire victory: 2006 BellSouth Classic, 2005 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

-- With his 41st career PGA TOUR victory, remains in ninth all-time in wins, moving within four of tying Walter Hagen for eighth with 45 victories.

ALL-TIME PGA TOUR WINS

-- Wins for the 22nd time in 33 attempts when holding the 54-hole lead (not counting 54-hole events), including the 2004 Humana Challenge (where he led by two after 54 holes and shared the lead after 72).

-- Has won all five events in which he posted his five-lowest scores on the PGA TOUR:

    60 (11-under) – 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open (first round, went on to win)
    60 (11-under) – 2005 Waste Management Phoenix Open (second round, went on to win)
    61 (9-under) – 2001 Travelers Championship (third round, went on to win)
    62 (10-under) – 2005 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (first round, went on to win)
    62 (9-under) – 2009 Northern Trust Open (third round, went on to win)

-- Joined Zach Johnson as the only players in PGA TOUR history with multiple rounds of 60 or better, but is the only to perform the feat on the same course (60, 2005 & 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open).

-- After carding three 2s on his scorecard 25 times during his career, Thursday’s 60 marked the first time he has posted four 2s in a round. He birdied all four par-3s, including Nos. 4, 7, 12 and 16.

-- Victory is first top 10 of the season in third start. Also recorded first season win at 2005 Phoenix Open. Went on to win the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, BellSouth Classic and the PGA Championship that season.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Brandt Snedeker moved back to first in the FedExCup standings with his second straight runner-up finish at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Sunday.

Snedeker won the 2012 FedExCup and its $10 million bonus when he made the TOUR Championship by Coca-Cola his second win of the season. Snedeker, who came to Phoenix ranked seventh in the season-long competition for 2013, has continued that momentum this year with three finishes of third or better in four starts.

Phil Mickelson, who ended up beating Snedeker by four strokes at TPC Scottsdale, jumped from 91st to third in the FedExCup. Mickelson also moved to 10th in the Official World Golf Ranking while Snedeker rose one spot to a career-high sixth.

It's the first time Mickelson has been back in the top 10 since he tied for seventh at the 2012 HP Byron Nelson Championship. Mickelson started his 2013 campaign at the Humana Challenge in partnership with the Clinton Foundation ranked No. 22.

Mickelson has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the world.

By Fred Albers, PGATOUR.COM Correspondent

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Phil Mickelson birdied nine of 16 par 3s this week and that simply lapped every other golfer at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The field played the short holes in even par, while Mickelson was 9 under. He birdied every one of those holes in the opening round. When you can write down nine deuces on your card, you’re having a great week.

Opportunities: Mickelson finished at 28 under because he had more birdie putts than anyone else in the field. Phil led the tournament, hitting 63 of 72 greens in regulation. That’s more chances to make birdie than any other player. Mickelson quickly married both speed and line on Thursday while shooting 60 and never lost his touch. He had putting rounds of 24-28-28-30 and was fifth in the field for strokes gained-putting. Phil was 40-for-40 on putts measuring 3 feet or less and was 60-for-65 on putts of 10 feet or less.

Coliseum: The par-3 16th hole was filled with 20,000 fans on Sunday but the crowd was not nearly as loud or rowdy as the previous day. James Hahn riled up the fans when he made a 19-foot birdie putt and then broke into a dance, giving his rendition of “Gangnem Style.” Padraig Harrington once again kicked footballs into the stands. Wilson sponsors Harrington and supplies the official football for the Super Bowl. Some lucky fans wound up with very nice souvenirs courtesy of Harrington.

Lucky: Mickelson birdied the seventh hole in three of four rounds, saving his best for last. He made a 56-foot, 7-inch putt that he played through the fringe, over and ridge and slammed into the back of the cup. Mickelson gave good fortune the opportunity to happen by picking a good line and speed but also admitted, “for that putt to go in was just pure luck.” Phil was so excited at making the putt, he played out of turn on the eighth tee, accidentally hitting ahead of Brandt Snedeker who also birdied the seventh and had honors. That’s a breach of courtesy but not a penalty in stroke play.

Sneds: Snedeker did everything he was supposed to do to win. He led the field in putting with rounds of 26-24-27-23 for a total of 100 strokes on the greens. He was fourth in strokes gained-putting. The only thing Snedeker did wrong was to start the final round six shots back of Mickelson. That is simply too much ground to gain.

Soft: Scoring in this tournament was determined before golfers ever arrived on site. There was heavy rain at TPC Scottsdale last weekend and more rain on Tuesday. There was standing water on some areas of the course during Wednesday’s Pro-Am. That led to soft, receptive greens and fairways that held drives. The putting surfaces never firmed and golfers simply punished par. A whopping 24 golfers did not have a three-putt the entire tournament. That's an indication of green speed, firmness and wonderful conditioning.

Final hole: In each of his weekend rounds, Mickelson hit driver off the 18th tee and simply blew it way to the left. He received a free drop from the gallery on Saturday and the rough was not severe when he drove it left of the lake on Sunday. Tournament officials may want to consider changes to the hole, increasing the penalty for playing left of the lake.

Fred Albers is a course reporter for SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio. For more information on SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio, click here.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Brandt Snedeker must feel like he's beating his head against the wall.

After all, he's finished second at the last two PGA TOUR events, losing to Tiger Woods at the Farmers Insurance Open in a Monday finish and Phil Mickelson at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Sunday.

"I feel like I'm running into the Hall of Famers every week," Snedeker said with a smile. "It would be nice if they weren't in the field and I could go ahead and go after it. It's just tough, you know. ... It was fun to watch, fun to be part of. You want to win those, and hopefully I will soon."
 
In each case Snedeker made a spirited bid, most recently closing with consecutive rounds of 65 at TPC Scottsdale but falling four strokes shy of Mickekson, who led wire-to-wire and tied the tournament's 72-hole scoring record. In fact, seven of Snedeker's last eight rounds have been in the 60s for a cumulative total of 34 under.

"I had one bad round last week," Snedeker said. "This week I didn't have a bad round. I played great all four days. Phil just played unbelievable, played like Phil."

Each champ was essentially playing on home turf, too -- Woods winning at Torrey Pines for the eighth time in his career and Mickelson for the third time at TPC Scottdale not far from where he went to college and made his home for 12 years.

Snedeker cut Mickelson's lead in half at the turn when he birdied No. 9 for a 31 to pull within three. But he lost ground when his drive at the par-5 13th landed in a cactus plant and he had to take an unplayable lie. Snedeker pulled within three again with a 5-footer at the signature 16th but when both birdied the driveable 17th hole Mickelson's win was all but assured.

"I had a great putt on 10 I thought was going to go in," Snedeker said. "I thought if I had made that putt, you know, I think I would have gotten within two or three at that time, I thought it's a fair ball game. Because a lot can happen with the next few holes.
 
"Just couldn't seem to get that putt to get within two or one or whatever it was to make him really think about it. He was playing great, so I knew I needed to make birdies. I just didn't do it early in the back nine."

Snedeker now has three finishes of third or better in his first four starts of 2013. In fact, in his eight PGA TOUR starts dating back to The Barclays, which started his run to the FedExCup title, Snedeker has one win and five finishes of sixth or better.

Asked whether he felt he got the recognition he deserved, though, Snedeker admitted he still needed to fill out his resume.

"You have to win majors and win tournaments to be recognized as an elite player," he said. "And I haven't done nearly enough of that, you know. I'm playing great right now. I'm as high as I have ever been in the world ranking and all that kind of stuff, but you have to win tournaments to validate that.  I haven't done it.
 
"I think when you win majors and win multiple times in years, you validate whatever people say about you."

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.COM

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Phil Mickelson didn't get the PGA TOUR's all-time scoring record but he did get the victory he wanted at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Sunday.

Mickelson started the final round leading by six and ended up beating Brandt Snedeker by four to become the first wire-to-wire winner in Phoenix since Steve Jones' 1997 victory -- and just the second here in 43 years. The last player to lead after each of the first three rounds and go on to victory was Rory McIlroy in the 2011 U.S. Open at Congressional.

Mickelson, who closed with a 67 on Sunday, also earned a share of the tournament's 72-hole scoring record but fell two strokes shy of the PGA TOUR mark. Mark Calcavecchia also shot 28 under in his 2001 victory.

The win was the 41st of Mickelson's World Golf Hall of Fame career and his third at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, tying him with Calcavecchia, Gene Littler and Arnold Palmer for the most all-time. He has now won 19 times in California and Arizona -- and will defend the 18th next week at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Snedeker didn't make it easy on Mickelson, though. He closed to within three strokes for the second time on Sunday when he made a 5-footer for birdie at the 16th hole. He and Mickelson proceeded to match birdies at the driveable 17th but Snedeker bogeyed the 18th. 

"It was a ton of fun," Snedeker said. "To be in the last group with Phil and kind of trade birdie for birdie and make up some ground was a lot of fun. It's what we play for. ... I wish I could have put some more pressure on him and got a little closer than I did today, but I think I shot 12 under par on the weekend and made one bogey.
 
"Sometimes you have to tip your hat and say Phil played unbelievable and deserved to win, and that's kind of what this week was all about."

Snedeker, who closed with a 65, has now finished second the last two weeks -- losing to Tiger Woods at the Farmers Insurance Open and Mickelson in Phoenix. He finished solo third at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, as well.

How well did Mickelson play at TPC Scottsdale this week? He led the field in greens in regulation and was 10th in putting. He made 29 birdies and one eagle while dropping just three shots to par with one bogey and one double bogey over 72 holes. 

The low round of the day belonged to Scott Piercy, who sho 61 and finished alone in third at 23 under. Ryan Moore was another stroke behind after his second straight 65.

Phil Mickelson won the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Sunday in Scottsdale, Ariz., becoming the first wire-to-wire winner on the PGA TOUR since Rory McIlroy at the 2011 U.S. Open.

It's Mickelson's 41st PGA TOUR win, which ranks ninth all-time in victories.

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