In the mid 2000s, if you wanted to beat Tiger Woods in any tournament, it required not only a player to play well but also, some very creative thinking to come into the process.
Woods was nearly unstoppable at times in the 2000s and he dominated a number of tournaments, including winning 12 of his 15 major titles from the year 2000 onwards.
During that time, Woods won three green jackets at The Masters, triumphing in 2001, 2002 and 2005, before eventually winning again in 2019.
However, it wasn’t all plain sailing for Woods at Augusta National during that time and back in 2006, he was beaten to the green jacket in the most unique way by one of his greatest adversaries of the time.
Step forward, Phil Mickelson and his use of duel drivers.
How Phil Mickelson beat Tiger Woods to The Masters by using two drivers
As we all know, professional golfers are allowed to carry a maximum of fourteen clubs in their bag.
At times, this can vary as players decide on different wedges for different courses, while some players will opt for something like a 2-iron or a 7-wood, or even a mini driver, depending on the event.
However, back in 2006, it was pretty much unheard of to go around in a major tournament with not one but two drivers in the back.
But this is what Phil Mickelson did and did with great success as he won the 2006 Masters.
Mickelson opted for a double driver selection in his bag. The reasoning behind it for Mickelson was one was set to a fade bias, with the other set to draw bias after Augusta lengthened the course by some 155 yards.
In the end, Mickelson won the tournament by two shots to little known South African Tim Clark, while he saw off Tiger Woods, Fred Couples and more by three shots.
During the week, Mickelson led the field in driving distance, very much proving that his decision was a good one.
Why Phil Mickelson used two drivers in the 2006 Masters
With Mickelson very much known as one of the great innovators in the game and renowned for his brilliant short-game, it was interesting to see him use this tactic with driver back in 06.
Indeed, after leading the field in driving, Mickelson explained at the time how his decision helped him.
“It was a huge help,” Mickelson said at the time. “I got 20, 25 more yards with the driver that draws.”
“I’d like to say one thing about the changes: I like them,” Mickelson added.” I’m glad I was able to finish it off on the back nine because it doesn’t always happen that way.”
In the end, Mickelson made it look easy as he cruised down the back nine and walked up 18 with a three shot lead.
Mickelson won The Masters again in 2010 but hasn’t got near since. Whether he switches to a double driver tactic for future tournaments, only he knows.
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