Will 5-wood be the secret weapon for Mickelson at the Masters?

AUGUSTA, Ga. – Phil Mickelson has carved out a Hall of Fame career largely on the strength of his short game. But if he sets a record this week by winning the Masters at age 54, credit might very well go to his 5-wood.

The HyFlyers GC captain plans to use 5-wood on his second shots into both par 5s on the back nine at Augusta National, the 545-yard 13th and the 550-yard 15th. It’s a club he focused on during his offseason work, hoping to get it dialed in for a run at a possible fourth green jacket.

“I’ve got one I really like and that I anticipate hitting into 13 and 15 based on the last couple of years where my ball is ending up off the tee and the yardage I have left,” he said.

Mickelson set the record for oldest major winner in 2021 by winning the PGA Championship just shy of his 51st birthday. Two years ago, he tied for second at the Masters.

While nobody discounts his ability to make more noise on a course he knows better than anybody else in the field, it would obviously be unprecedented should he walk off the 18th green Sunday as the winner. The oldest Masters winner was Jack Nicklaus in 1986 at the age of 46.

Mickelson’s recent LIV Golf form, however, has made him less of a longshot and more of a dark horse, perhaps even nudging into favorite territory.

After struggling for results in his first three years in the league, Mickelson produced his best-ever LIV Golf result in Hong Kong in early March, a solo third, four shots behind winner Sergio Garcia.

Then last week at LIV Golf Miami, he was in contention again until an unfortunate break in the final round in which a wedge shot hit the flagstick and bounced into the water, leading to a double bogey.

Last season, Mickelson had a PING Anser Hybrid 2 in his bag, but he switched to a PING G430 Max 5-wood for this season. It’s already paying dividends.

“I tried to get a 7-wood in the bag,” Mickelson said. “It didn’t really quite work out for me. Some of these guys hit that 6- and 7-wood incredible. I overspin it, so it’s not really a great club for me. But the 5-wood is a club I anticipate hitting like a high cut into 13 and 15.”

He’s not alone. The 5-wood is also the club of choice for several other players this week, including fellow LIV Golf captains and past Masters champs Jon Rahm and Sergio Garcia.

Rahm is also using the G430 Max, which is usually in his bag when he plays on American soil.

“Pretty much unless I’m in Europe, it’s 5-wood all around for the same reason Phil just said,” the Legion XIII captain confirmed. “Usually comes in better into playing par 5s, and the 2-iron, if anything, at the Open and some events in Europe I’ll use it off the tee. Even then, sometimes I’ll still play with 5-wood.”

Garcia has a TaylorMade Q135 5-iron, which was in his bag when he won earlier this year at LIV Golf Hong Kong. It’ll be in his bag this week. “I always play with a 5-wood,” said the Fireballs GC captain.

The 13th and 15th are the most scoreable holes on Augusta National’s back nine, so maximizing opportunities is huge for any chance at winning. The 13th comes after the brutal stretch of 10 through 12, a trio of holes that rank among the four hardest on the course. The 15th, meanwhile, is the last realistic chance at making a big, bold move before the finishing stretch.

The 5-wood used to be a key club on those two holes back in the day before distance increases allowed players to use long irons on their approaches. Augusta National has countered in recent years, moving the 15th tee back 20 yards in 2022 and the 13th tee back 35 yards in 2023.

As a result, Mickelson is making the necessary adjustment.

“Back in the ‘70s when Ray Floyd won and Curtis Strange in ’85 when they were playing the course, they were putting a 5-wood in the bag for the par 5s,” Mickelson said. “Now that the tees have been moved back on some of the holes, that’s actually a club for me that is going to come into play.”

Will it be enough to make history this week? Stay tuned.