HONG KONG PREVIEW: MICKELSON SHINING ENTERING THIS WEEK
Team: HyFlyers Golf Club
Previous event team finish: 8th at LIV Golf Jeddah
Season-long team standings: 13th
Top finisher from previous event: Phil Mickelson, T-6
Fun stat: Brendan Steele has two eagles through three events. Only one player (Bryson DeChambeau, 3) has more.
Preview
There’s no debate that Jeddah was a turning point for HyFlyers Golf Club. Now the team looks to keep trending in the right direction as LIV Golf Hong Kong gets underway this week.
After opening slowly in the first two events, the HyFlyers bounced back nicely with an eighth-place finish at Royal Greens last week, and the fruits of the offseason team building and hard work are appearing to pay off.
Start with the captain. Phil Mickelson was clearly on form and his consistent stellar play was on full display. The six-time major champion opened with a fantastic 65 and followed it with rounds of 68 and 67 to finish in sixth place at 10 under. His Sunday 67 was bogey-free. It was Mickelson’s best result in a LIV Golf tournament, with his previous best being a tie for eighth in 2022 at LIV Golf Chicago.
Teammate Cameron Tringale had counting scores all three days, and Brendan Steele was strong early with an opening-round 65. New teammate Andy Ogletree also shot under par in both weekend rounds.
Which brings us to this week at Hong Kong Golf Club, which at first glance might look to be a birdie show due to its length, but there is danger everywhere. The course measures approximately 6,700 yards, but water will come into play on nearly half of the holes. This is also a tree-lined course with tight fairways, so there is trouble on even the mildest of off-line drives.
A big key will not only be accuracy off the tee, but on approach shots. The greens are large, but there are severe slopes everywhere, making pin-point iron play a must.
"I think what we all love about this golf course is you talk about strategic and strategy and how to play certain holes, there's a lot of ways to play the holes," Mickelson said. "I love the par 3s. I think they're some of the best par 3s we've seen, and they challenge you and push you with precision rather than distance. You've got to hit very precise shots. The greens are small, and they're just very cool, fun challenges."
Mickelson is a big hitter who doesn’t mind dialing it back, and he’s seen success doing so. An on-point short game is a must this week, and, well, we’re talking about Mickelson here so there are no concerns about his Hall-of-Fame play around and on the greens.
For the team to continue to climb, however, it will need contributions from everyone, and Tringale, Steele and Ogletree are well known for their excellent ball-striking and iron play, which are key on this layout. It’s worth noting Ogletree finished T-15 at the 2023 Hong Kong Open on this course.