Mickelson hopes to be in the driving seat in Abu Dhabi

Joy Chakravarty 09:45 15/01/2014
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  • Getting into the swing of things: Mickelson shows off his new driver at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

    It’s difficult to top a campaign in which he won three tournaments, including a Major, but Phil Mickelson is confident 2014 could be the best season of his career.

    The 43-year-old American, who starts his year with a second shot at the Falcon Trophy in this week’s Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, has good reason to feel upbeat. He has a new weapon, the Callaway Big Bertha Alpha driver, inspired by a howitzer that decimated many armies during the two World Wars.

    Its inclusion in Mickelson’s bag is significant because he has played several tournaments in the last few years without a driver, including during his Open win last year.

    He said: “There’s one thing that makes me very excited about 2014. As I look back on 2013, I played some of my best golf and had some huge breakthroughs. But I did most of it without a driver.

    "And this year, we have the best driver I’ve ever hit that lowers my spin rate just like my 3‑wood. I drive it longer and straighter with my driver than I did with my 3‑wood. It’s a whole different weapon in my arsenal now.

    “If I drive the ball well, like I have been in practice and the off‑season, the 2014 season could be the best year of my career for that simple reason.”

    Mickelson said it had been difficult for him to zero in on a particular driver because of the heavy spin he imparts on the ball. With the new driver, not only is he hitting the ball straighter, but has he also added nearly 15 yards to any previous driver that he used.

    He said: “Because I spin the ball more than anybody, they end up giving me a driver with 6.5, 7 degrees loft to knock that spin off. Now I’ve got a driver with 9.5, 10 degrees loft, but they have this gravity core in it that lowers the centre of gravity and knocks off the spin.

    “So, I’m able to make the same swing as my 3‑wood, the same swing as my irons and to get the ball to go nicely off the tee. With other drivers, I always had to have a different swing to accommodate the fact that I had no loft. That’s why I’ve struggled with the driver off the tee. This year, it can be adjusted to accommodate my golf swing.”

    The one Major Mickelson would love to win this year is the US Open, a tournament where he has finished runner-up six times.

    He said: “I think any Major championship would make the year special and memorable. I do believe that I’ll win a US Open. I don’t know if it’s at Pinehurst this year. But I play well in that tournament too often to not believe or be confident in my ability to close it out.”

    Pairings to watch on Thursday 

    07:30 from 10th tee

    Sergio Garcia, Matteo Mannasero, Martin Kaymer

    Garcia made a hot finish to the season winning the Thai Golf Championship, while Mannasero, a global ambassador of Abu Dhabi, is playing this year with new Callaway clubs. As for Kaymer, let’s just say the three-time champion should have shares in this place.

    07:40 from 10th tee

    Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, Jamie Donaldson

    The marquee pairing of the tournament. There is a danger that defending champion Donaldson might be completely overshadowed by the presence of McIlroy and Mickelson. It will interesting to see how the newly-engaged McIlroy starts his new season.

    07:50 from 10th tee

    Branden Grace, Padraig Harrington, Joost Luiten

    Three in-form players who impressed at last week’s Volvo Golf Champions. Dutchman Luiten made the first albatross of the season, while Grace showed he means business by finishing a close second to Louis Oosthuizen. Harrington was fourth and is showing signs of life again.

    11:55 from 1st tee

    Paul Casey, Peter Hanson, Miguel Angel Jimenez

    Casey is a two-time champion of the tournament, and like McIlroy, he too is starting his season by getting engaged to girlfriend and TV presenter Pollyana Woodward. Hanson is always a threat, while 50-yearold Jimenez is one of the greatest characters on the Tour and a joy to watch.

    12:05 from 1st tee

    Henrik Stenson, Luke Donald, Thomas Bjorn

    Stenson was red-hot last year, while the usually consistent Luke Donald was lukewarm before he won the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan at the fag end of the season. Bjorn shocked a quality field to win the Nedbank Challenge. Stenson desperately wants to win the tournament and complete his Desert Slam.

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