Phil Mickelson could not stop talking about his comfort level with his driver following his win at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am last week.
"I've never had this kind of feeling on the tee box," he said. "I'm not worried about if it's going to go left or go right. I'm just so comfortable right now."
Mickelson attributes his improved driving performance to the new FT-5 driver from Callaway Golf. Previously, he played a FT-3.
"There's a whole different center of gravity, MOI, all that technical stuff," he said of the Fusion Technology. "It's not because of anything with the swing, although I've been working on a couple of technical things, but the club just performs well."
The FT-5 was designed with a carbon fiber body so that more weight could be freed up to distribute throughout the clubhead. Callaway's OptiFit Weighting System puts that weight in the heel and toe of the club in one of three configurations to produce a draw, neutral drive or (with the Tour model) fade. Mickelson can encourage a draw or have more success hitting a low shot into the wind, as he did at Pebble.
The fusion aspect comes into play with the way that Callaway engineers attach the carbon body and the CT/VFT titanium cup face, which is wider from heel to toe than the FT-3 to increase ball speed and allow more distance even when the ball is hit off-center.
The FT-5, as well as the FT-i driver getting a lot of attention because of its square shape, will be available for consumers to buy on Feb. 15 -- great timing with the promotion that Mickelson has been giving his driver.
"Most avid players know what's in the bag, they pay attention, so it authenticates our product," explained John Melican, senior vice president of brand management at Callaway Golf. "It gives a lot of visibility to the driver.
"We've had a lot of anticipation and buzz. (The FT-5 driver) has been covered in a lot of editorial, and won [Golf Digest's] 'Hot List Driver of the Year.' Charles Howell III has gotten off to a phenomenal start and he's used the FT-5."
Melican said that Callaway highlights the successes of its tour players to promote products through e-mails to the consumers in its database.
"Phil's driving distance was over 285 [yards] and I think he missed one fairway on Sunday, so we talk about his performance," Melican said.
With all the talk about square drivers, will the FT-i overshadow the more traditional FT-5 when both are introduced to consumers this week?
"I don't necessarily think so. The media likes to go to whatever is new, different, thought-provoking," Melican said. "The Fusion Technology (in both drivers) is what's really the story for us."
But it doesn't hurt to have a spokesman as happy with his game off the tee as Mickelson.
"I've never driven it as well as I'm driving right now," he said after his win Sunday.
