Phil Mickelson is using two different putting grips this week at the WGC-Cadillac Championship.
Depending on the length of putt, Mickelson is switching between the conventional grip and the Claw (or Gator) grip, both of which the five-time major winner has used in the past -- and yes, sometimes switching between those grips in a single round.
“I believe that the claw grip is a better grip for short putts. I just have always believed that,” said Mickelson.
“There's so much better extension, and it's such a softer hit without having that bottom hand on the club that I like it for short putts and would like to use it on short putts and a regular grip on longer ones for a better feel.”
The approach seems to have worked for Lefty. He gained 2.25 strokes on the field on the greens on Thursday at Trump National Doral, which ranked ninth in the field, and his 5-under 67 has him one shot off the joint lead of Scott Piercy and Marcus Fraser.
