Phil Mickelson captured his second major at Baltusrol Golf Club 11 years ago, and this week the 46-year-old returns to the New Jersey course looking for a repeat performance.
Back in 2005 ‘Lefty’ sunk a birdie on the 72nd hole of the PGA Championship to edge out Thomas Bjorn and Steve Elkington by a shot. Mickelson has won three majors since then, most recently at The Open at Muirfield in 2013.
This year he heads into the season’s final major fresh off a runner-up finish at The Open, which marked his sixth top-five result since January.
The world number 13 is a short-game master, but will need to go big off the tees at Baltusrol, which plays at 7,462 yards from the tips. The par-70 layout includes two par-fives at the 17th and 18th, which measure 650 and 553 yards, respectively.
The 42-time PGA Tour winner averages nearly 300 yards in driving distance this year, but ranks 152nd in driving accuracy. He is number one on tour when it comes to approaches between 250 and 275 yards, which is useful at Baltusrol.
Mickelson is in good form coming into the week, has won at the venue before, and is no stranger to major success. History might just repeat itself at the season’s final major.
