The five-time Major winner hit every fairway in his opening 65 at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am
Mickelson Hits Every Fairway For The First Time In 21 Years
For the first time in over two decades, Phil Mickelson has played a round on the PGA Tour and hit every single fairway.
The five-time Major winner has never been known for his driving accuracy but it was on point during his opening round at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Lefty was playing his first round at Monterrey Peninsula Country Club, one of the three venues in use for the tournament, and that's where he hit 100% of fairways on his way to a six under par 65.
“History was made today,” Mickelson said after round one.
Related: The incredible Phil Mickelson world ranking statistic
“To the best of my knowledge, it’s taken me 27 years and a few months to hit all fairways in a single round in competition. I may have done it before, but I don’t ever recall doing it.”
Lefty doesn't recall ever doing it before, but according to the Golf Channel's stats man Justin Ray, he has.
The 48-year-old last hit every fairway in a PGA Tour round 21 years ago back at Torrey Pines in 1998.
Mickelson's former coach Butch Harmon once said, “I don’t think (Phil) knows how to spell fairway."
Well it appears he does now!
This incredible statistic bucks the trend of his 2019 season so far, which has seen him hit just 47% of fairways on average, ranking 220th on the PGA Tour.
That's down from last year where he ranked 189th with 53% of fairways hit on average.
His best year on Tour in driving accuracy was in 2001 where he averaged just under 70% of fairways hit. Apart from 2001, he hasn't ranked inside the top 120 in any season.
One aspect of his driving that has been very good this year is his distance, evidence seen at the Desert Classic where he was the longest driver of the week.
He is 5th on the PGA Tour this season in driving distance with an average of 316 yards.
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