Lefty following trend by using belly putter For some golfers, the first sign of the apocalypse was Phil Mickelson using a long putter. When the ultimate feel player and possessor of one of the sport’s purest putting strokes gives in to the controversial trend, the rest of the golf world can’t be far behind.
Mickelson’s conversion came two weeks ago at the Deutsche Bank, relenting after a long struggle with putts inside six feet. He continues the experiment Thursday at the BMW Championship, which he enters at No. 10 in the standings in the penultimate event of the FedEx Cup.
“It’s awkward to me, but so many guys have had success with it I thought I’d give it a try,” Mickelson said, referring to the seven tournaments won this year by players using long putters.
– Kevin Dunleavy
| Up next |
| BMW Championship |
| When » Thursday-Sunday |
| Where » Cog Hill Country Club (Dubsdread Course), Lemont, Ill. |
| TV » Golf Channel/NBC |
| Five to watch |
| Jim Furyk |
| Ranked No. 35, the defending FedEx Cup champ needs a solid week to advance to the Tour Championship. Still seeking his first 2011 win, though with two top-10 finishes in his last three events, he is trending upward. Furyk won the BMW in 2005. |
| Geoff Ogilvy |
| At No. 69, one of several big-name players who is in danger of missing out on the Tour Championship. To advance, players must be in the top 30. Others are No. 68 Ernie Els, No. 53 Sergio Garcia, No. 45 Lucas Glover and No. 37 Rickie Fowler. |
| Camilo Villegas |
| Since capturing the BMW and Tour Championship in 2008, Villegas has won just one PGA Tour event. At No. 47 in the FedEx Cup standings, Villegas is on the bubble. Recent uptick is encouraging, however. Has top-10 finishes in two of his last three starts. |
| Dustin Johnson |
| Defending champion at Cog Hill is No. 2 in FedEx Cup standings and in good position to win the $10 million first prize and salvage a somewhat forgettable year considering his play in the 2011 majors. His win at Barklays was his first this year. |
| Webb Simpson |
| With his win at the Deutsche Bank, Simpson vaulted to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup standings and on the money list. He also became the sixth player this year to win two PGA Tour events. Has still yet to crack the world’s top 10 however ranking No. 15. |
The trend picked up steam early this summer when Adam Scott went to a long putter and shot into overdrive when Keegan Bradley became the first player to win a major with one, capturing the PGA. Two weeks ago at the Deutsche Bank, Webb Simpson won for the second time in three weeks with a belly putter.
Scott turned to the device after a decade of struggles on the greens. Bradley, 25, and Simpson, 26, however, have been using belly putters for a while, realizing for them it was more fail-safe.
At the Deutsche Bank, Mickelson needed 28.8 putts per round and tied for 10th. He shot a 63 in the third round to climb into contention before a final-round 69.
“From six feet on in, I felt very good with it. I made a lot of good ones,” Mickelson said after the tournament. “Because of that, I think I’m going to practice with it a little bit more from the 10- to 25-foot area where I need to make some of those, and I really didn’t make one this week.”
The long putter is a particularly radical departure for Mickelson considering the sawed-off blade he used for two decades.
It’s also a departure from his long, free-flowing stroke that allowed him to drop more long putts than perhaps any player in professional golf. Wielding a long putter is more mechanics than artistry. It’s Michelangelo painting by numbers.
How did putting guru Dave Stockton react to seeing his most talented pupil with a long putter?
“I fainted,” Stockton joked on the Golf Channel.
Cog Hill Country Club, site of the BMW, has never been one of Mickelson’s favorite courses. He has been openly critical of the Rees Jones redesign and the conditions at the public course. Before tying for eighth place last year at Cog Hill, Mickelson had not finished in the top 25 in 11 starts there. Last year, he even had his $1,000 alligator-skin golf shoes stolen from the locker room.
But with a long putter and a less yippy stroke, Mickelson may see Cog Hill from a different perspective this week.
