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Winning Weekend for Mickelson, Sorenstam
Callaway Golf, February 17, 2008
Callaway Golf Staff Professionals Phil Mickelson and Annika Sorenstam each got what they wanted over the holiday weekend – a long-awaited win. For Mickelson, it came at the PGA Tour’s Northern Trust Open at Riviera in Los Angeles, the only West Coast Swing stop that eluded him. In Hawaii, Sorenstam said aloha to her first win since September 2006, opening the LPGA Tour season with a sweet victory at the SBS Open in Turtle Bay, Hawaii.
Mickelson was determined to add the missing link to his West Coast Swing resume in L.A., where he fell last year in a playoff. He did it on Sunday, with a two-stroke victory, finishing at 12-under-par 272 for the tournament.
“It’s pretty cool,” Mickelson said. “I’ve wanted to win this tournament for a long time.”
Mickelson, in his 33rd PGA Tour win, closed with a 1-under 70 on Sunday, following up rounds of 68 on Thursday, 64 on Friday and another 70 on Saturday. In four events in 2008, Mickelson now leads in season FedExCup points, as well as money earned. He ranks 2nd in scoring average for the season, at 69.12.
In his victory on Sunday, Mickelson used the FT-5 Driver, FT 3-wood, 2H FT Hybrid, Prototype Callaway Golf Irons, the Tour ix Golf Ball, the Odyssey White Hot XG #9 Putter and HX Tour shoes from the Tour Authentic line of Callaway Golf Footwear.
Sorenstam, who nursed neck and back injuries for a good part of 2007 and was winless on the LPGA Tour last year, returned to action strong as ever to win the SBS Open in Turtle Bay on Saturday. It was the 70th career LPGA win for the Swede, who finished the weekend with a three-day 10-under-par 206 total.
“I could not have asked for a better start,” Sorenstam said of her two-stroke victory. “We all have talked so much about '07. I think it's time to talk about '08. My clubs do the talking this particular week.”
Sorenstam hit 85 percent of greens in regulation for the tournament and used an FT-5 Driver, X-Tour 4+ Wood, Prototype and X-18 Irons, the Tour ix Golf Ball and an Odyssey White Hot 2-Ball Blade Putter in her victory. Sorenstam also wears Callaway Golf Footwear for better performance.
“It's very gratifying to see that the preparation I've done paid off, and now I really want to put '07 behind and say, ‘Hey, I'm a contender,' and I intend to be that all year,” Sorenstam said.
She was also glad to shake the “stuck at 69” jokes from friends and family, like the old, dusty “70” shirt her sister, Charlotta, had dating back to the 2006 Samsung World Championship.
“A friend of mine has a bottle of wine that says 70 on it; I'm ready to collect it now,” Sorenstam said.
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