Mickelson's success factors

Mickelson's success factors

Since many factors go into making a successful round, and because Mickelson is among the world’s best for many more reasons than his left-handed golfing — he does most nongolf things right-handed — it is hard to use statistics to show a left-handed advantage at Augusta National. And the left-handed sample size is small. But to use an admittedly simple measure, in their Masters careers, Mickelson, Watson and Weir have played the 2nd, 5th, 9th, 10^th  Women Golf End In Athens and 13th holes considerably better than the cumulative scoring average for each of those holes (4.35 to 4.8, for example, on the par-5 second hole, and 4.08 to 4.8 on the par-5 13th). The three players have a 3.996 scoring average for those five holes, well under the cumulative scoring average for those holes of all golfers, 4.468. Mickelson, Weir and Watson have been 82 under par on those five holes in 128 rounds played. Mickelson, whose assertive and confident bearing on the Augusta National grounds seems to grow with each spring, conceded that there were holes that set up well for his favored play off the tee. Or as he said, “There are holes that fit well to my eye.” But he tried to temper that remark with a qualification: “There are a couple of holes that I feel more uncomfortable playing left-handed.”