There’s beating the odds, and then there’s doing what Vaughn Taylor did Sunday to win the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
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The final result here at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am could easily be termed The Epitome of Mickelson, but that would underscore a major theme that the left-hander himself proffered after yet another second-place finish.
“It never crossed my mind that I wouldn’t make that one”, Mickelson said after his 72. Below is a full list of the clubs the now three-time Tour victor used at Pebble.
The momentum he conjured here may help down the line, but it will do little to blunt the sting from the sobering fact that this will go down as yet another trophy that got away.
The Masters is eight weeks down the road. For those sleeping on the Pebble Beach Pro-Am on Sunday afternoon, they missed one of the more adorable moments in recent memory.
The longest victory drought of his professional career, dating all the way back to the 2013 Open Championship, will extend at least a little while longer.
“I think I took it for granted”, he said of playing on tour. “But right now, I’m not quite there yet”. “A few more mistakes in the short game around the greens”.
Mickelson, who drained a long birdie putt on 17 to reduce the deficit to one shot, needed to get up and down from short of the green for birdie on the last, but hit his putt through the break and watched on as the attempt lipped out. The putt looked good. It will be that final putt, the final stroke that drifted just off-line and left him wondering once again what could have possibly gone wrong.
Mickelson was left with the 36th runner-up finish of his career around the world. I kept getting knocked down, knocked down. He went on to make three more birdies on his front nine before registering two more on his back nine to climb up 33 spots on the leaderboard. I didn’t salvage some pars the way I wanted to. “I lost a good bit of my game”.
“That gives me hope that I can probably pursue with this style and still do very, very well”.
In that respect, it was a big step in the right direction.
And then, abruptly, Mickelson sprung to life.
Now he’s going back to the Masters in his hometown of Augusta, Ga.
NAPLES, Fla. – German Bernhard Langer won the Chubb Classic for his 26th title on the 50-and-older PGA Tour Champions, closing with a 1-over 73 for a three-stroke victory over Seattle native Fred Couples (66).
Ko closed with a 2-under 70 for a two-stroke victory.
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Mickelson’s form is encouraging – he has recorded a second and a tied third in his last four tournaments – as he tries to bed in swing changes with new coach Andrew Getson after parting with long-time guru Butch Harmon in November. His is a rough grade, but when you’re the world No. 1 and come in with the best Pebble Beach scoring average in the field, we expect more out of you. Hiroshi Iwata of Japan was within one until he dropped a shot at the 16th. Pebble Beach is known for its great weather, breathtaking views and sandy beaches.
