Phil Mickelson took a different approach to the 2017 Players Championship. He chose not to play a single practice round ahead of the proverbial fifth major. Not one.
The 2007 Players Championship, who has wondered aloud in recent years how he ever managed to win this tournament, chose instead to rest ahead of the event after playing last week in Wilmington, N.C., at the Wells Fargo Championship.
More Mickelson: "I want to be rested and ready to play and getting my game sharp is more important than seeing holes." @GolfChannel #Players
— Tim Rosaforte (@TimRosaforte) May 10, 2017
Mickelson wasn't just lollygagging in preparation, though. He did spend five hours practicing on the range on Wednesday, working on some finer points of his game instead of focusing on game plan and course management.
Besides, t's not like Mickelson hasn't seen the Stadium Course. He's been in 23 Players Championships. While there's a new 12th hole and some modest changes to the fringes of the sixth and seventh holes, they're not so mind-blowing that Mickelson can't figure them out on the fly. Besides, Mickelson has missed his last four Players cuts, so perhaps a change in routine is a good thing.
