The signing of Ogletree, the 2019 U.S. Amateur champion, fills the HyFlyers’ roster vacancy created by the relegation of James Piot, winner of the 2021 U.S. Amateur. Ogletree joins Mickelson, Cameron Tringale and Brendan Steele on the all-American roster, which is now set for 2024.

“Andy is one of the most impressive young players in the game who has earned his spot on LIV,” Mickelson said. “The work he has continued to put in and the resiliency he showed this past year in creating his own success was awesome to see. He makes the HyFlyers a contender next year and just as importantly, Andy fits in perfectly with everyone on the team.”

Ogletree earned his LIV Golf spot for 2024 by finishing first in the season-long International Series standings. Ogletree was the dominant player on the International Series, a set of 10 elevated tournaments on the Asian Tour supported by LIV Golf. The 25-year-old from Mississippi produced two wins – in Qatar in February and England in August – and earned 1,101,828.33 in prize money, nearly $525,000 more than his closest pursuer. He also was the Asian Tour’s Order of Merit winner in 2023.

“Andy has played some outstanding golf this year and has been head and shoulders above his peers on The International Series,” said Asian Tour Commissioner and CEO Cho Minn Thant.

Ogletree, who competed in LIV Golf’s inaugural Invitational Series event in London in 2022, played in three LIV Golf tournaments in 2023 as a reserve. He finished sixth on the points leaderboard in DC, shooting 7 under as a starter for injured Crushers DC player Paul Casey. He replaced injured Majesticks co-captain Lee Westwood for the final round in Tulsa, shooting 62. And he started in Orlando as a replacement for Crusher GC’s Anirban Lahiri, finishing 43rd on the points leaderboard.

Despite the limited starts, he finished in the Open Zone of the point standings (Nos. 25-44), enabling him to sign with any team that had a vacant spot instead of waiting for the draft.

“I started getting some phone calls and it was kind of like college recruiting all over again,” Ogletree said. “A few teams wanted to meet and I had conversations with some of the captains and it followed from there. Since LIV Golf owns the teams, the final contract had to be approved and all of this was navigated over the last few weeks.

“I was in a fortunate situation being able to travel with LIV during the year. I was at every tournament as a reserve. I was seeing how every tournament works and the team dynamic and the support structure they put in place. I was able to ask a lot of questions and get opinions from different players. And I liked the way Phil went about things and to get that knowledge from one of the greatest of all time is an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.”

In addition to winning the U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst in 2019, Ogletree also played for the winning U.S. team at the 2019 Walker Cup, and was the low amateur at the 2020 Masters, turning pro shortly thereafter.

Image: LIV Golf

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Phil Mickelson is still a legend.

Skeptical? Fair, fine. Just read this story from Ryan French, better known as Monday Q School on Twitter. A few weeks ago, French messaged Mickelson asking if he would help his buddy Mark Baldwin prepare for the second stage of Q-School. French didn’t expect a reply, but you never know until you ask, as they say. Three hours later, Mickelson responded.

After the first stage of Q-school I sent @PhilMickelson a DM, asking him to help @markbaldwin1 get ready for 2nd stage.
I didn’t tell Mark because I never thought phil would respond . Instead, 3 hours later Phil said yes.
And this weekend Mark has had “the coolest experience

— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) November 12, 2023

Mickelson wasn’t just willing to offer advice, however. He spent practically an entire weekend grinding with Baldwin. On Saturday, they played a nine-hole match at one of Mickelson’s local haunts. Then on Sunday, Mickelson invited Baldwin over to his backyard golf facility for a short-game tune up and an additional 18 holes. When it was all over, Baldwin called it “the coolest experience” of his golf life.

Some have, of course, called this a savvy PR ploy by Mickelson to get back in golf’s good graces. Maybe it is, but if that’s the case he went above and beyond the call of duty and made a tangible difference in one hopeful pro’s life. Plus, it’s apparently not the first time Mickelson has done something like this …

I also should have added that Phil has done this for multiple players that are preparing for 2nd stage.

Imagine getting ready for 2nd stage and getting one on one time a legend.

It’s truly amazing of him to do it.

— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) November 12, 2023

So good on Phil. He’s taken his fair share of flak over the last two years, much of it deserved. He’s had his name dragged through mud, often because of his own doing. But these sorts of stories show there’s a side to the karate-kicking, leather jacket-wearing lefty we don’t normally see; one that’s perhaps even more iconic than the public-facing character we know and sometimes love.

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Speaking ahead of LIV Golf’s teams championship in Miami, the six-time major winner was asked if there will  be an “exodus” of players from golf’s two major tours.

“Do I think that? No. I know that’s going to happen,” Mickelson said at Trump Doral. “When players look at LIV, they are wanting to be a part of it. Everybody here is happy … [they are] enjoying the team aspect of it and the camaraderie and playing golf globally. There are a lot of players that see that and want to be a part of it. But the reality is, I’ve been fielding calls, as we all have, from players that are free agents to PGA Tour players to DP World Tour players that want to come over. You know, the spot’s probably going to be filled by the time the qualifying tournament is here.”

Mickelson, 53, is not the first LIV player to say that. In July, two-time major winner and former World No. 1 Martin Kaymer said when the June 6 framework agreement between LIV’s financier, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and the PGA and DP World tours, was announced, he fielded multiple phone calls from DP World players enquiring about LIV.

If there is any significant interest from players to join LIV in 2024, the question is who would be squeezed out of the league, and how? The top 24 on LIV’s points standings who are guaranteed for next season were cemented last week after its individual season finale. The 20 players who finished from 25th to 44th on points includes players who are contracted to the league beyond 2024. Those 20 are now open to being traded among teams, while four players were relegated to the playoffs set for Abu Dhabi in December. LIV also needs to account for four more players in 2024: the winner of the Asian Tour’s International Series order of merit — which is currently Andy Ogletree — and three others who will earn LIV cards at the playoffs.

Match 4: @SmashGC vs @HyFlyers_GC ?#LIVGolf pic.twitter.com/DzKa1W4R4k

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) October 18, 2023

“The question is how many spots are availabl. There’s a lot more players that want to come than there are spots,” Mickelson claimed. There are spots on teams that are open.”

Adding a layer of uncertainty are negotiations between the PGA Tour and LIV, who aim to form a new, for-profit entity that would see PIF as a minority investor. In August at the Tour Championship, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan was bullish about the agreement being ratified before its December 31 deadline. Mickelson was quizzed whether the PGA Tour and LIV possibly uniting would prevent players from joining LIV.

“I think the merger talks allow for it,” he said. “I think it allows and kind of opens the door.”

Mickelson also used the time to echo comments made last week by Bryson DeChambeau that LIV players should be afforded a category into the majors from its money list.

“I think that the majors need to protect their product, and there’s probably other ways that they can do that by creating slots,” he added. “If they want to make sure they have the best fields in golf, they could create vehicles for players on LIV to play in majors where they don’t have to use the OWGR, which would undermine the TV contract and revenue of the PGA Tour if they gave points to LIV.”

Meanwhile, LIV’s team finale begins on Friday at Doral. The three-day team championship on the Blue Monster will see match play on Friday and Saturday. The top four teams — Dustin Johnson’s 4 Aces, Bryson DeChambeau’s Crushers, Joaquin Niemann’s Torque GC and Bubba Watson’s RangeGoats — received a bye into Saturday’s semi-finals.

On Sunday, all 12 teams will compete in stroke play to determine the team champion.

The pairing for Friday’s four quarterfinal events are Louis Oosthuizen’s Stinger v Kevin Na’s Iron Heads, Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs v Henrik Stenson’s Majesticks, Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC v Kaymer’s Cleeks and Brooks Koepka’s Smash v Mickelson’s HyFlyers.

Main image: Michael Stobe

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Mickelson has been vocal about this issue in the past, and this time, he responded to a tweet from a fellow Masters champion as the point to dive back in.

“If I were going to start a pro golf tour, and I decided that I wanted my tour to have world ranking points available for the players, I’d probably at the outset make sure that my tour did whatever the world ranking organisation required in order to comply,” Trevor Immelman tweeted late on Wednesday. Immelman, of course, is the 2008 Masters champion.

Later, Mickelson responded, which can be read below.

Trevor, LIV was NEVER going to get points. Why? 1)it’s a monopoly run by all the governing bodies 2) the PGA Tour tv contract is based on owgr criteria for them to get all their money 3) they would lose leverage in negotiations if LIV got points4) last but not least, Tour has…

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) October 12, 2023

As you can imagine, this opened the floor for more back and forth between fans and media alike. Here is Mickelson’s response to the “stop whining” crowd.

Stating facts isn’t whining and I don’t care if LIV ever gets points. This is move 6 in a long game of chess. You won’t believe moves 32-37. That’s when it gets REALLY good. ?

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) October 12, 2023

More of Mickelson’s explanations and takes can be read on his replies tab. But we’ll leave you with this one, where he reiterates that he believes not being ranked has nothing to do with the fact that LIV Golf only plays 54 holes.

Nope. That’s just their public excuse so they can protect each. A lot of people believe it too ?
Can’t blame them though cuz people like you simply don’t have all the facts. That’s why I’m sharing them with you now. You’re welcome.

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) October 12, 2023

Main image: Mike Stobe

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If there’s one thing we know about Phil Mickelson, it’s that the man is not afraid to break a few rules. But at Augusta National Golf Club, even Lefty, a three-time green jacket winner, is supposed to fall in line. Supposed to.

Evidently, that’s not the case, according to an incredibly-told story by Mickelson himself that he put out on all his social channels on Thursday night. To set the scene, Mickelson, sitting in his golf cart, takes viewers 20 years back to the 2004 Masters, a tournament he was entering on an absolute tear, in part thanks to a “towel drill” he had been working on that season with legendary short game coach Dave Pelz.

Oddly enough, the drill was designed for Mickelson to set up towels at specific yardages, all the way up to 175 yards, making it sound like a little more than just a short-game drill. The idea was to build reference points, and Mickelson needed a large area to himself on the range to do it. He had been doing it all season up to that point, and wanted to continue doing it the week of the Masters.

We’ll let him take it from there:

Story time with Phil (me:)
Enjoy ? pic.twitter.com/koePrh38Il

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 25, 2023

Mickelson has proven time and time again that he’s got one serious brass neck, but even for him, this was extreme. Just the idea of sneaking under the giant magnolia trees to literally steal something from Augusta National Golf Club, be it a blade of grass or a sign, is a terrifying. But then to plot to do it again at the following year’s Champions Dinner, again waiting everything out to duck under the trees and swipe another sign, is downright insane behaviour. He was quite literally asking to be banned from the property, or at least be given some sort of stern talking to or strongly worded letter to stop what he was doing or else. Some people are just above the law.

Mickelson is a lot of things, but one thing he is not is a bad stroyteller. By the way, if these are the stories he’s willing to share with us, can you imagine the ones he’s not?

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It would take a lot for New Jersey golf fans to turn on Phil Mickelson.

How much? Difficult to know. But a “gut punch” quintuple-bogey eight on a par-three during the final round at Bedminster, didn’t come close to swaying the Garden State galleries during a roller-coaster week for Lefty.

Mickelson began the week at the LIV Golf event embroiled in controversy. On Thursday, during the pro-am, an excerpt from former Mickelson associate Billy Walters’ upcoming book dropped. It offered allegations about Mickelson‘s well-publicised gambling habits.

Despite the distractions, the 2021 PGA champion played his way into Sunday’s final group at Bedminster, four shots behind leader and eventual winner Cameron Smith. The 53-year-old even managed to reduce the deficit to two early in the round.

That was before disaster struck his scorecard. At the 191-yard par-3 seventh, Mickelson pulled his tee shot into the water. Because the option to drop was in ankle-high rough 100 yards out, Mickelson reloaded from the tee. Another water ball. For his third ball and fifth shot, Mickelson barely reached the green and the ball spun back into greenside rough. He made a tournament-ending, quintuple-bogey eight.

“I had been hitting really good iron shots and I didn’t even worry about the water,” Mickelson said of the first tee shot on No. 7. “I just pulled both of them. I don’t know what happened whether it was set-up or something. That was kind of a gut punch because I thought I was playing well and had a chance to make a move and I thought I could get.”

Despite birdies at Nos. 9 and 12, Mickelson bogeyed the par-5 15th to sit four-over for the day when he arrived at the par-3 16th hole. With former President Donald Trump, the course’s owner, standing beside him, and a throng of fans watching from the clubhouse above and around the tee, Mickelson stuck his tee shot to within six feet. The crowd erupted. When he eventually drained a consolation birdie at the green, they erupted again.

Mickelson signed for a 75 to plummet to 10th place but was grateful the Jersey fans never turned on the guy who won the 2006 PGA only 30 minutes away at Baltusrol.

“The people here are great,” Mickelson said beside the 18th green Sunday. “I’ve always loved coming here and they really support professional golf, whether it’s majors, playoffs, LIV events. They’re incredible fans.”

Having tied for second at the Masters in April, Mickelson feels his form is on the rise. He and LIV’s 47 other players now have five weeks off before the league heads to Chicago.

“I’m starting to show glimpses of playing a lot better even though today wasn’t my best,” Mickelson said. “I’m looking forward to taking a few weeks off to regroup and then come back for our last three events and try to finish strong because I’ve seen a lot of progress.

“It’s fun to play well. I’ve been working hard, and I have not yet been getting the results. So getting in contention was a big step for me and to start scoring is a big step and something I can build on.”

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In Phil Mickelson’s words, he’s “thrown himself into the fire” plenty over the past two years while LIV Golf emerged to rival the PGA Tour. With the Ryder Cup just over a month away, Lefty doesn’t want to cop more heat for telling US skipper Zach Johnson who to select for his six captain’s picks.

“I don’t want to get involved, and I don’t want to step on Zach’s toes and tell him what he should or shouldn’t do. He’s got to be the one making the decisions on what he thinks is best for the US Team,” Mickelson said on Wednesday at LIV Golf Bedminster after hosting a clinic for adaptive golfers. “I’ve kind of detached from that a little bit. I’ve accepted the fact that I’ve had 12 or 13 years of great Ryder Cup experiences, 12 as a player, one as a vice captain. I’ve enjoyed my time. But I’ve detached and kind of let it go and let others take others as players as captains, and kind of let myself be a fan watching now.”

Although Mickelson, who made a record 12 appearances for the US, does have some … recommendations. And they all happen to be current LIV golfers.

“I think Talor Gooch is one of the best performers of the year, and Brooks [Koepka] is one of the toughest competitors, and then you always want to throw DJ [Dustin Johnson] or Patrick Reed in there because of their consistency. It’s also understandable if as a captain you decide to go with a team that brings about a certain chemistry, but if you’re looking just straight for the best players, there’s four or five guys here that warrant that.”

Mickelson was hesitant to offer advice to Johnson because he has come under considerable scrutiny over the past two years for using LIV Golf as leverage to try and reshape the PGA Tour’s business model. Now that the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which finances LIV, entered into a framework agreement on June 6, the 53-year-old Mickelson is relieved to see what he believes is a better ecosystem for professional golf.

“I’ve kind of thrown myself in the fire plenty of times,” Mickelson said. “It is what it is. I’m happy to do it because I believe in the long [term benefits]. I knew the first two years of disruption were going to be difficult on everyone. It’ll start to settle in, and I think in the long run golf is going to be better in shape because we’re going to have a global element, younger demographic fans, and a team element. I think a partnership [framework agreement] is best for everyone. And I hope everyone realises that sooner than later.”

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With his final-round 58 on Sunday at The Greenbrier, Bryson DeChambeau created the best possible content LIV could have asked for. A few days before that, though, he created an even better bit of content with the ultimate content king in golf, Phil Mickelson.

DeChambeau, who has always been part pro golfer, part long-drive competitor and part YouTube star, among other things, challenged Lefty to a nine-hole match during a practice round at The Old White and had the cameras rolling the whole time. The result, unsurprisingly, was a highly entertaining match featuring plenty of risks, great golf shots, and trash talking, all of it cut down into a 40-minute video you can watch on-demand at your leisure.

Below are some of our favourite highlights from this Bryson (and Anirban Lahiri) v Phil (and Cameron Tringale) duel.

The Terms

Let’s just say Mickelson has done this a few times before, which is why him listing the terms for the match is akin to a waiter at a five-star restaurant listing off every ingredient in each of the specials based off memory alone. One does not simply play a “fun” nine holes with Lefty for some YouTube content. There has to be something on the line, something to get the competitive juices flowing:

The Bryson v Phil match has dropped on YouTube and Phil gets straight into what matters:

“What’s up man?”

“So, what are we playing for?”

This isn’t Phil’s first rodeo ?

This is an awesome watch! https://t.co/jZ37ilRexL pic.twitter.com/BMzViYQLoM

— Flushing It (@flushingitgolf) August 8, 2023

For those confused, Mickelson set up a two-man best ball match for $1,000. “Press for half” means that the team who gets closed out (loses the match with a hole or two, or more left), can start a new match to cut into their losses. If they win that new match, they only pay $500. If they lose, they still pay the original $1,000. The “not the full?” , “Not the full” bit meant that Bryson was asking if you could completely clear the debt by winning the press, to which Mickelson said absolutely not. A fun little addition from Mickelson at the end, for added juice, was that if one of the teams shoots a best-ball 28, the prize doubles to $2,000. “I always max it at that, to keep it friendly,” Mickelson says in the most rich-guy statement ever.

The Production Value

Say what you want about Bryson, but the man, and his team, knows how to do content in 2023, hence the 356K YouTube subscribers. Plenty of cameras out there to capture every shot and, even better, the pre- and post-shot stuff. A moment at around the 7:25 mark features Mickelson quickly going through his pre-shot discussion with his caddie and brother Tim. “Stock 9 is probably a little much, so it’s right between Pelz and stock,” says Lefty. “Stock” is a full 9 iron, while “Pelz” is Mickelson’s low-launch, low-spin shot, which he’s explained before. “Maybe just add the Pelz? I’m in a tiny old divot so it’s sitting down just a bit, so it’ll be a little shorter. So, we’re closer to stock cut.” This is the type of stuff golf fans live for and we so rarely get on a normal broadcast. Add in the great use of shot tracer, the little red and blue circles showing where the ball is landing on tee shots, graphics that are clean and easy to read and follow what’s happening, and the drone to do flyovers before each hole, and that’s really all it takes to make a very quality, watchable product.

Imagine we could hear tee-box conversations like this all the time?

Bryson tells Phil about his new Krank Golf Driver. DeChambeau ended up having a historic week with the big stick.

Watch the full match on YouTube. pic.twitter.com/BnCOLmwBZT

— LIV Golf Nation (@LIVGolfNation) August 7, 2023

About three minutes after this, DeChambeau was walking to the second green and started talking into the camera. “Little amped up right now, hitting it good, driver’s going well. I’m excited man.” We all know what happened next. Cool to see him more or less call his shot a few days earlier.

The Trash Talk

Generally speaking, tour pros — Mickelson included — are terrible at on-camera, forced trash talk. While each edition of The Match has had its moments, you can tell the guys can’t be their off-camera, natural, behind-the-scenes selves. Somehow, though, DeChambeau’s team is able to create an environment where these guys can feel relaxed and fire away. Even something as simple as leaving in the cursing, but bleeping it out, gives it a “OK, this is a real, unscripted thing that’s happening here.” That’s how these guys talk, and trying to hide it or acting like they are all perfect gentlemen is just plain silly and insulting to the viewer.

A match for the ages… Bryson vs Phil is now live on YouTube… ?https://t.co/R4HGZmFtd0 pic.twitter.com/2WOp1F7ljW

— Crushers GC (@Crushers_GC) August 7, 2023

Not long after these drives, Mickelson poured in an opening birdie that he said was going to go in well before even addressing it. “I’m going to play it three inches outside the hole, let it feed in there and get a quick 1-up lead.” Bang. “That feels so good, taking a 1-up lead on them.” Rub it in, baby.

The Golf Shots

When you’re only following four guys, it’s easy to capture every shot, though that somehow still proves difficult to do on certain weeks for certain networks. In this format, you see them all and, obviously, a lot of them are good. Anirban’s near ace at No. 3 was a top highlight, as was him correcting Bryson after Bryson hit a “183-184 shot.” “I was going to say,” Lahiri says, “it’s a 178 shot.” Would have been nice to know before hitting it, partner.”

And then there’s king of the sauce, Mickelson, at No. 6:

The Phil-Bryson video is legitimately awesome, and this was, I think pretty easily, my favorite part. pic.twitter.com/iIvJrOH8k7

— Kyle Porter (@KylePorterCBS) August 8, 2023

“Did it miss? Shoot.” Class.

The Nicknames

Not too much to say here other than there is nothing like a quality nickname. “Camo” for Cameron Tringale makes Cameron Tringale seem way cooler than he is (no offense). “Ban” is a Golf Twitter favourite for Anirban Lahiri. “B” for Bryson is hilariously lazy but I kind of love it. It’s no “Mad Scientist” or “Incredible Bulk,” but those are too long to actually call someone to their face anyway. As for Mickelson, well, he has too many nicknames to count.

The Finale

SPOILERS ahead … Although, did you really think the match was going to end any other way than with Mickelson and Tringale not only winning, but shooting the 28 they needed to double the prize? Anybody who sets the terms in the manner in which Mickelson set them is a lock to win.

Check out the full video of the match below.

The post ‘We’ll play nine holes for a G’: The best highlights from the LIV Golf Bryson DeChambeau v Phil Mickelson match appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Amid speculation that LIV Golf’s days are numbered, Phil Mickelson asserts the fledgling circuit is here to stay.

Though Mickelson played two weeks ago in the US Open, the six-time major winner declined to speak at Los Angeles Country Club on the proposed deal between the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund. However, ahead of this week’s LIV Golf event in Spain, Mickelson made his first public comments on the surprising partnership between the tour and PIF, saying he’s “very optimistic” about what the new alliance means for the sport.

“A lot of the changes that have been made because of LIV were all very [appreciated], both on the LIV Tour as well as the PGA Tour,” Mickelson said Wednesday, “and we’re happy for the guys out there that they’re having some positive changes there, as well.”

Mickelson’s comments come just days after the framework between the tour and PIF was submitted to Congress and subsequently leaked. The deal only broadly outlines how the former rival entities intend to coexist, with LIV Golf’s future still undetermined. LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has been telling LIV players and staff members that LIV Golf will return for 2024 and beyond, but there is no guarantee the circuit will continue, and Norman is not mentioned anywhere in the agreement. The new entity formed by the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and PIF will, however, “undertake a full and objective empirical data-driven evaluation of LIV and its prospects and potential and will make a good faith assessment of the benefits of team golf in general, and PIF, the PGA Tour and the DP World Tour will work together in an effort to determine how best to integrate team golf into PGA Tour and DP World Tour events going forward.” There is also a mention of the parties in question cooperating to help secure Official World Golf Ranking consideration for LIV Golf events.

Still, the tour essentially now controls LIV’s future, raising the question if there is a future for LIV. But in Mickelson’s estimation, those writing LIV’s obituary are premature, pointing to similar criticisms at LIV over the past two years.

“Everything over the last couple of years that we’ve been told by Greg and everybody on LIV has come to fruition, so we have a lot of confidence in what they have been saying to us,” Mickelson said. “We don’t really feel the need to publicly posture our position. There’s really no need for us to talk about things publicly but to just let it play out.”

The same sentiment applies to Mickelson’s own future. One of the few LIV-related items in the framework was an agreement to allow LIV Golf members to return to their former respective tours. But Mickelson’s case is especially unique: He was already suspended prior to defecting to LIV for attempting to recruit players to the circuit. Mickelson also funded the charter for LIV’s operating agreement, and headlined the antitrust lawsuit against the PGA Tour.

So when it comes to going back to the tour, Mickelson wanted no part of the question.

“Rather than saying yes or no, I know that from a player experience, all of the difficulties and challenges and things that take a lot of excessive energy and output throughout the week have been fixed at LIV,” Mickelson said. “So the player experience here is incredible. I just can’t envision a better scenario for me as a player than playing out here on LIV.”

Mickelson, 53, enters this week ranked 39th in LIV’s individual standings.

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But it seems like Mickelson is extending — or at least trying to extend — the olive branch to those golfers who may have soured towards him over the last year by offering something we all need: A good chipping tip.

 

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It is, effectively, a three-step guide to hitting a simple chip.

1. Weight on front leg
This helps get the leading edge of the club back into the ground, Lefty says.

2. Hands forward at set-up
Helps you strike the ball with a descending blow, and prevents thin shots.

3. Turn chest away on the backswing
This prevents you from getting too steep, and hitting chunks.

Some simple and good advice which Golf Digest’s Chris Powers, a tough critic at the best of times, throws his sizeable endorsement behind.

The greatest chipper of all time sharpening his skills in thong-toed flops will never not be funny pic.twitter.com/XtVr8F5OXc

— Christopher Powers (@CPowers14) June 22, 2023

“I was already a good chipper,” Powers says, modestly, “but this simple technique change from Phil made me a generational one.”

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