Seems the two-driver philosophy for The Masters didn't work this time for Phil Mickelson. By Saturday, he was sticking to his Callaway FT-5 and leaving the square-shaped FT-i in the bag. It was likely a case of course conditions, though, as cold temperatures and wind limited the usefulness of the square driver.
"It will be a lot higher," Mickelson said about the FT-i's flight early in the week. "A better way to relate to be a driver and a 2-wood because one of them, the longer driver, the square one goes 20 yards longer than my regular one. So when I need distance, I use the square one. And when I try to hit little low shots or work it around the trees on 10 or 13, I'll use the regular-shaped driver."
By the end of the third round, he confirmed that the longer club wasn't working for his game that day.
"With it being windy, I hit the other driver to hit low shots. I used it exclusively today," he said.
PALMER'S TAKE ON THE SQUARE DRIVER: Yes, the King likes Callaway's square FT-i driver. But why didn't Arnold Palmer use one off the first tee, when he hit a shot as Honorary Starter?
"I just brought my clubs and it just didn't happen to be in the bag when I brought them," Palmer said.
Also, Palmer noted, he doesn't benefit from the added distance like Mickelson can.
"I do have a number of square drivers that I have been fooling with, and I like them," he said. "But I'm not hitting it as far as I need to hit it to make any difference."
SINGH TRIES TWO: Indian Jeev Milkha Singh made his first appearance at The Masters with a two-driver philosophy. Unlike Mickelson, his drivers were not square - or even that new.
"One driver is a TaylorMade 1994 bubble shaft, nine degree loft. The other is a Callaway 16 degree. It's an older model and I have three at home in my closet," Singh said.
If Mickelson cited his use of two drivers as being like having a driver and a 2-wood, Singh indicated that shot shape was his reason for carrying both.
"It is perfect for me. Like on No. 1, if I was to use one of my drivers and hit it right, I'm dead. I'm dead in that bunker," Singh said. "I often use the other driver and hit it right off the deck."
A DECADE OF CHANGE: Ten years ago, Tiger Woods won his first major at the '97 Masters. My, how things have changed on the equipment side since Woods came on the scene.
"I was joking about it the other week, when I played Davis in a playoff in '96 to win in Vegas, Davis was using a Persimmon driver," Woods said. "That's amazing how the game has changed in 11 years.
"It just -- every driver was 43 and a half inches, steel was standard, wound balls. Now everything is 45 inches and plus. Heads have obviously grown gynormously. There is no wound ball out here anymore."
ODDS AND ENDS: Cleveland Golf has become the Official Club Manufacturer and Sponsor of the European Senior Tour. The company will have a tour van at the tour's events for this season.
