What Phil Mickelson once said about Jordan Spieth’s chipping after seeing it up close on the PGA Tour

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Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson are both known for their wizardry around the greens.

Mickelson is one of the most successful players in PGA Tour history with 45 wins and six major titles to his name, although it could be argued that he tarnished his legacy by joining LIV Golf.

Meanwhile, Spieth has 13 PGA Tour wins safely tucked away, as well as three majors.

Interestingly, a few years ago Spieth admitted that he wasn’t a huge fan of Mickelson when he was a teenager.

That was due to a misunderstanding, after Mickelson made a young Spieth wait for a signature at the Byron Nelson Classic in Dallas, because he had to attend media duties.

However, after turning professional, the 31-year-old actually became quite close to ‘lefty’.

The three-time major champion has really struggled recently. And Rich Beem suggested on Friday that Spieth may even need to try out a new coach.

He is too talented to spend the rest of his career in the doldrums, especially taking into account his God given talent around the greens.

Jordan Spieth shares what Phil Mickelson told him about his chipping

There aren’t many better players with any form of wedge in their hands than Spieth and Mickelson.

The two Americans have thrilled fans all over the world throughout the years with their imaginative play in and around the greens.

However, the best bit about their short games is just how good they are at doing the simple things so well.

And back in 2023, Spieth opened up on something Mickelson told him about the way that he chips and pitches:

“Every single shot that I hit on or around the greens is a cut shot, I never hit a draw. It’s always a cut, whether it’s a flop, a bump and run, that’s a pretty straight face but even little cut-spinning bump and runs I can control better because I’m getting down into the ball. I talked to Phil Mickelson about this, he came up to me and said, ‘you’re one of the only people that I see like myself that really likes to cover the golf ball’. And I said, ‘Phil I really like the way you said that’. I always say feel like you’re driving it into the ground, don’t be afraid to take a divot even from short range. I never chip a ball, I’m always driving it. The hands are forward, the weight is forward on almost every shot, and it’s all a cut motion. It’s just where is that handle, and where is the starting club face and where is that release pattern that gets the height and spin.“

If Mickelson is praising the way you chip and pitch, then you know that you must be doing something right!

One part of Spieth’s game has been the architect of his downfall

Some golf journalists and indeed fans have suggested that Spieth’s struggles over recent years have been down to wayward driving and poor putting.

However, if you really want to see where he has dropped off, then look no further than how his scrambling has declined.

Here’s how Spieth’s numbers have panned out throughout his 12 years on the PGA Tour.

If Spieth is ever going to regain his best form, and get anywhere near matching Mickelson’s record, he will need to get back to basics in and around the greens.

And the jury is very much out right now in that regard.