NORTON, Mass. – All things considered Phil Mickelson was pleased with his opening effort at the Deutsche Bank Championship on Friday, if not his 1-under-par card than the belly putter he put in play for the first time this week.
Truth is Lefty’s position on the leaderboard five strokes off the lead is more a byproduct of pedestrian iron play more so than his new putter. For the day Mickelson hit 11 of 18 greens in regulation and 10 of 14 fairways.
The putter, however, was solid and he needed just 29 putts and looked surprisingly relaxed using the mid-length model for the first time in competition. Historically, Mickelson has utilized a forward press when putting, an option that if physically impossible with a long putter.
“That’s probably why it’s a little more awkward for me because I’m used to having my hands ahead of the ball,” Mickelson said.
Despite the adjustments, even Mickelson’s playing partners were impressed with how natural he looked on TPC Boston’s putting surfaces.
“I asked him how long he’s been using it and he said since Monday,” said Gary Woodland, who was paired with Mickelson on Day 1. “He made everything short and looked really comfortable with it.”