The Loop

Phil Mickelson is part showman, part cyborg as he trains for match against Tiger Woods

November 15, 2018

If you watched HBO's 24/7 on the upcoming match between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods, you probably got the impression that Lefty is taking THE MATCH a tad more seriously. While Woods practices by himself at his home course, Phil flies a small entourage to Vegas to scout Shadow Creek ahead of the Nov. 23rd Pay-Per-View event, breaking down different holes where he plans to attack Woods and challenge him to side/sucker bets.

Mickelson's preparation is the best part of the entertaining 45-minute episode, particularly when he describes a drive he hits as a "hellacious seed" and when he cockily says he'll hit it close on one par 3 and then sticks his shot to about four feet. But in the day after it first aired, the five-time major champ provided a photo showing he has taken his training to another level.

Phil Mickelson: part showman, part cyborg. Somewhere, Bryson DeChambeau nods approvingly.

Also notice how Mickelson conveniently started an Instagram account the week before THE MATCH. Kind of like how he joined Twitter on the very day THE MATCH was confirmed. Savvy.

It's too bad Mickelson's scientific prep wasn't included in the episode. Either he started doing this — whatever this is — too late or the smart people at HBO decided it was ridiculous and cut it. Either way, it probably saved Mickelson from some mocking, especially from any boxing fans watching. This isn't exactly as intense as punching raw meat:

Of course, this isn't the first time he's taken "training" for a golf event to the next level this year. Ahead of the Ryder Cup, Mickelson posted this video of him using a long-range sniper rifle:

Let's hope his new training method yields better results. . .