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It may not be the fountain of youth but the PGA Tour Champions seems to agree with Phil Mickelson.
And with the November Masters just three weeks away, Mickelson may have found the dose of confidence he’s been chasing.
Mickelson’s three-stroke victory Sunday at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic kept him unbeaten in two starts on the senior circuit, joining Jim Furyk and Bruce Fleisher as the only players to win their first two events after turning 50.
While opting not to play in the CJ Cup @ Shadow Creek on the PGA Tour, Mickelson made the most of his Champions appearance before continuing his pre-Masters preparation by playing the big tour’s Zozo Championship this week at Sherwood Country Club.
Chasing consistency off the tee, Mickelson put a new driver in his bag while looking for “a little more pop for Augusta.” He closed with a final-round 65 in Richmond, Virginia, despite hitting one driver out of bounds.
While searching for a balance between the two tours, Mickelson likes the freedom he feels on the PGA Tour Champions where setups aren’t as demanding and allow him to play more aggressively, a hallmark of his career.
“I think that this tour helps me quite a bit, more so than I realized when I played at Ozark (his first Champions event),” said Mickelson, who also plans to play the Houston Open before the Masters. “It helps me free up, work on the areas that I need to work on in my game.
“It’s very difficult to be competitive on the regular tour. I’ve had a couple good finishes, but it’s hard to be competitive week in and week out unless you drive the ball incredibly long and straight. The long part I’m OK with, it’s the straight part that I struggle with. This tour is a little bit more forgiving, the rough isn’t quite as long, the fairways aren’t quite as tight.
“You have to be in the thick of it and feel those nerves and compete for a championship to really be able to get better, and I’m able to compete out here and get my skills a little bit sharper.”
Ron Green Jr.