Phil Mickelson hasn't even completed six tournament rounds in 2016 and already he has produced two candidates for shot of the year. During Friday's second round at the Farmers Insurance Open, Mickelson's latest brilliant effort involved a hybrid -- and a vivid imagination -- from some gnarly rough on the 13th hole of Torrey Pines North. OK, and a few fortunate bounces. Check it out:
"Creative genius"? Despite the luck involved, it's tough to argue. Mickelson used a hybrid from only 148 yards and put plenty of right-to-left and topspin to get the ball to bounce up onto the green. And of course, he drained the ensuing birdie putt.
Just last week at the CareerBuilder Challenge, Mickelson hit an approach that clipped the flag, skipped forward, and still managed to spin back some 15 feet and into the hole for an eagle.
But Mickelson has made plenty of great swings in addition to his two highlight reel shots. He finished T-3 last week, and opened with a 69 -- his lowest score on Torrey Pines' South Course since 2011. Speaking of that tournament, it's as good a time as any to remind everyone what he did that week.
A few more birdies like the one on Friday and perhaps, Mickelson, a three-time winner of this event, will make for another exciting finish this Sunday. We doubt anyone would complain.
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