Now on the Tee… Old Dogs and New Tricks
Isn’t golf a funny game?
Today, the prominent top golfers keep getting younger and longer off the tee. Yet in the tournament played on the longest course in major championship history, in Jim Nantz’s already immortal words, “Phil defeats Father Time”.
Golf is a game that favors the young and talented. This game can leave scars of missed opportunities and shots we wish we could take back. Phil Mickelson may agree with such. It is easy to lose one’s boldness in the game of golf as the years go on, as you stop looking at the pin and start to notice the danger surrounding it. The scars of misplaced shots will make one wince and take a safer approach. With this in mind, the enormity of Phil’s accomplishment this weekend may not sink in for some time.
Much of the storyline at Kiawah Island was about Phil’s physical transformation. Turning from what many outside of the game of golf would call the typical golfer (read as: overweight) into what we know as the modern golfer. A much slimmer, stronger, body and health conscience golfer. Too many aging professionals have tried to chase distance at the cost of their backs and knees; Phil was far too observant to make the same mistake. He did it in his own way with his own methods: Toned calves, intricate stretches, and a very complicated coffee order.
In true Phil fashion, there is a method in the madness. The same can be said of his golf game. A modern day Seve Ballesteros when it comes to putting his golf ball in just about every compromising position he can but then miraculously escaping from such. They call him Phil the Thrill, after all. His brand of golf lends itself to the theater of drama that TV producers love to eat up.
Sure, Phil was hitting bombs, hellacious seeds. That’s all very fun and exciting. Of course Phil’s new found distance was critical in him even having a chance at Kiawah Island, but the work he did on his mental game was what put him head and shoulders above the field. Phil had to soothe the scars of he had accrued over 30 years of playing professional golf. The most impressive addition to his game was the meditative like state he entered before every shot, letting himself come to rest and be completely still to control his breathing and his heart rate, as to put his full attention on the task at hand. A very good habit for someone as high energy as Phil to pick up.
The old dog learned some new tricks and used them to put the most intimidating major championship opponent in Brooks Koepka on his heels. It is not often we see Brooks so… out of it. His cool and intense nature was completely thrown off by Phil’s zen, because if there is anything Brooks Koepka hates it’s having to wait. Ever the outspoken critic of slow play in golf, there were many times we would see Phil play a shot and after a shockingly short amount of time Brooks would already be taking the club back to rip his own shot. As someone who is on the fence about Brooks, I found it very funny to see Brooks so uncomfortable.
PGA Championship rant incoming
It was also very enjoyable to see a PGA Championship play so tough and be so entertaining. Kiawah Island is such a unique golf course, which we have seen a PGA Championship at before. I would love to see the PGA Championship be held at more courses that are a bit quirky and not as well known. Chambers Bay being at the top of that list. The PGA has long been the red-headed step child of the majors. The other 3 majors have long storied histories and their own lore. The PGA Championship needs its own thing. So, why not play it on some wild courses? It wouldn’t hurt. And would seeing Phil pull this off be even better if it was the US Open? Sure. But, we’ll take it.
Golf is a game that favors the young and talented, but one can never underestimate the power of experience and preparation. Phil did such to overcome an even more powerful opponent than the longest course in a major championship: Time. He put together a game plan, did it his way, and won a major being 2 years and 7 months older than anyone else in the history of the game (He’s nearly 51 y’know!). It is a lesson to us all, that one can accomplish so much with patience and determination regardless of age or expectation. So don’t let the passage of time get you down, your best golf can always be ahead of you. Better get going though, Father Time waits for no one.
See you out on the links.
