Instruction blog: Phil still searches for consistency

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Phil Mickelson hits his tee shot to the short par-4 10th on the final day of the Northern Trust Open.

There is never a dull moment when Phil Mickelson is in the hunt, and this past week at the Northern Trust Open was no exception. Mickelson certainly gives another meaning to the old saying, "What a difference a day makes." He shot 63-72-62-72 at Riviera, which was just enough for a one-shot victory for his 35th win on the PGA TOUR.

Listen to Travis Fulton

PGA TOUR Golf Academy's Travis Fulton breaks down the keys to Phil Mickelson's victory on the PGA TOUR Network (XM 146, SIRIUS 209). Click to listen

I will be honest, in some ways I really don't know what to say about Phil Mickelson anymore. Sometimes Phil reminds me of the weather here in Florida. If you don't like what you see -- just wait 15 minutes. Doesn't it seem that the reasons Phil lost his four-shot lead on Sunday were the same keys to his come back on the final three holes? At one point, Phil is spraying drives all over the place, and his short game just seemed a bit off.

Even with all the problems, Phil hits a perfect 9-iron on No. 16 for birdie, then proceeded to bomb a drive down the middle on No. 17 for another birdie. When he only needed par to win on No. 18, he pulled a 3-wood out. A 3-wood? Like I said, I just don't know what to say anymore.

What Can We Learn
In 2007, Mickelson switched swing coaches from Rick Smith to Butch Harmon. This switch in coaches was an attempt to tighten Phil's swing for more accuracy without losing distance off the tee.

Most of these changes revolved around stabilizing Mickelson's lower body motion so his arm swing would move a shorter distance resulting in a more compact motion. Let's compare Phil's stats from 2004-2006 with his old swing to 2007-2009 under his new swing:

Interesting enough, Phil's stats really haven't improved. In fact, they have seemed to be trending worse since the changes in 2007. What's extraordinary is, regardless of the poor driving accuracy and a middle-of-the-pack Greens in Regulation percentage, Phil continues to win every year. With 35 PGA TOUR titles and three major championships, it just shows us how solid Phil's short game has been over the years and his will to win under pressure.

In watching Phil, it just seems something is missing. The changes that Butch and Phil have been working on seem to be getting better -- here are a few of those changes that have been made public.

1. Setup: Phil's posture has gotten better over the years with an improved spine angle and better balance.

2. The left knee seems to be staying flexed during his backswing, providing a much more stable lower body at the top and an improved downswing action.

3. The arm swing with his irons has shortened up, providing a more compact motion.

Although these changes have been noticeable and have led to some improvement from time to time, the changes really haven't led to improved stats for Lefty. So what else needs to change?

Here are a few thoughts for Phil to compliment the improvements he has made to this point.

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Mickelson hit only nine greens in the final round.

1. Club shaft at the top of the swing: Phil's club shaft at the top of the swing seems to be a bit inconsistent. With his wedges and short iron play, Phil is able to set the club shaft on-plane where the club shaft points at the target line. This relationship established at the top allows Phil to deliver the club shaft back down the plane line to impact. The club shaft never loses its relationship to the target line, leading to consistent and repeatable shots.

However, with the longer clubs -- in particular, the driver -- Phil loses the relationship of the club shaft to the target line. You will notice with Phil's driver that Phil gets the club shaft very long and across the line at the top of the swing.

This off-plane motion at the top leads Phil to have to move his hands along a steeper path on the downswing as the club shaft flattens back to the preferred plane line. This steep angle of approach relies on great timing with the hands at the bottom, often leading to inconsistent ball flight.

2. Angle of approach: When the club shaft gets across the line, Phil is forced to re-route the club on the downswing. This re-routing often makes the hands work very steep where the club shaft comes down between the forearms. A good checkpoint is when the arms are about half-way down, the club shaft should sit closer to the trail forearm rather than between the forearms. When Phil really sprays it off the tee, not only is the club shaft across the line at the top, but it is between the forearms half-way down.

So the key for Mickelson is to continue his work on the three improvements stated above that Harmon has highlighted, but to also compliment these efforts with a couple of improvements in the club shaft. Begin at the top of the swing creating a bit shorter and more laid-off look. This sets the club shaft on-plane and creates the opportunity for a better angle of approach matching the club shaft to the trailing forearm on the downswing.

Just Because
Have you heard -- Tiger Woods is back. Yep, that's right -- the world No. 1 will be back in action at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship starting Wednesday. I am very excited not only for the game, but just for the simple fact there is some positive news to look forward to. His return couldn't come at a better time for the game of golf.

This brief departure from the game since last year's U.S. Open -- when he limped on one leg to his 14th major championship -- provided an opportunity for the rest of the field to make a name for themselves.

No one took advantage of this more than Padraig Harrington, who won the last two majors of the year and will be looking to complete the "Paddy" Slam this year. Young guns Anthony Kim, Camillo Villegas, Dustin Johnson and others have gained new confidence from their recent wins too. Now we'll find out if they can turn up the heat on Tiger and if Tiger is ready to continue his winning ways.

So put the newspaper down, stop looking at your portfolio online and turn off the news. It's time to get excited -- Tiger is back!