subject: Mickelson Makes Effort To Win Masters [print this page] Mickelson Makes Effort To Win Masters Mickelson Makes Effort To Win Masters
Phil Mickelson enters the 75th Masters but without a victory since last year's emotional triumph at Augusta National but with confidence he is playing better now with TaylorMade R9 Fairway Wood .
Mickelson has managed only six top-10 finishes since claiming his third green jacket last April, famously embracing his wife Amy at the 18th green in her first tournament appearance since being diagnosed with cancer 11 months earlier. So far, however, there's no sign of that from the 40-year-old American left-hander.
Mickelson has finished outside the top 20 some 14 times over the past year, having failed in several chances to become world number one for the first time and slid to sixth in the rankings.
"I'm playing a little bit better this year but I'm not getting the results," Mickelson said. "I feel very confident with the way I'm striking the ball. I just have to shoot a number. "Heading into Augusta last year, I wasn't striking it well and I had a great session with Butch (Harmon) early in the week and it kind of turned things around."
"I got diagnosed quickly before there was any permanent damage. I've responded really well to treatment," Mickelson said. "I've been able to manage my symptoms, which has allowed me to practice hard and work on my game by TaylorMade Burner 2.0 Irons. "Physically I feel fine. I'm hitting a lot of the shots I want to hit but I'm just not scoring the way I want to score. It's coming.
But form did not arrive in time for "Lefty", who has 38 US PGA titles and has set a goal of 50 for his career, to take the momentum-building victory he wanted ahead of Augusta, a course that thrills Mickelson like no other.
"I'm excited because I can tell that my game's coming around," he said. "I'm starting to hit more shots. I'm starting to see them a little bit easier. My putting feels great. My short game has been sharp so I'm excited."
Mickelson has 24 career runner-up finishes, five of them at US Opens, where he has finished in the top four seven times without winning. But at the Masters, Mickelson has a history of success that lifts him from the moment he arrives at the course. "It's a great feeling of confidence when I drive through the gates of Magnolia Lane and know More About TaylorMade R11 Driver .I think that's been one of the reasons why I've been successful there, knowing that I've won the golf tournament, and that I've had such success," Mickelson said. "When we arrive at the premises at Augusta, it exceeds our dreams, which is hard to do."
In a practice round before Mickelson tees off in his 19th Masters, he plans to try the critical 6-iron shot he made from behind a tree off pine straw across Rae's Creek and onto the 13th green in last year's final round.
