Bunker Rake: Phil is Phantastic in Phoenix

Where were you when the lights went out in New Orleans? If you were Phil Mickelson, you were likely swimming in a pool of your newly-acquired prize winnings at a plush Phoenix hotel. Perhaps you were more like me and attempting to watch the Super Bowl amid five screaming children and a mastiff puppy with a strong affinity for biting everything it sees?

Isn’t life as a golf blogger grand?

Lefty goes wire-to-wire at the WaMo - The Waste Management Phoenix Open wasn’t even a contest this week as Mickelson decided to win the whole darn thing on Thursday. Brandt Snedeker made things interesting during Sunday’s front nine when he pulled within three shots, however the tournament was already over.

Can we just talk about something for a second? Mickelson played this week with a 9.5-degree Callaway driver... which is more than THREE DEGREES HIGHER than his typical driver loft. In other words, he usually teed-off with a club equivalent to a butter knife prior to this week. No wonder the guy is known for his errant tee shots and a caddy with a fear of the woods.

Something tells me Phil will keep his new driver in his bag all season, especially if he continues to hit fairways with pinpoint accuracy like he did this week.

Brandt Snedeker may be the best American player - Despite Tiger winning last week at Torrey and Phil’s victory in Phoenix, Brandt Snedeker has been perhaps the most consistent player in America over the past few months.

The reigning FedEx Cup Champion is off to a torrid start in 2013. After taking third at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions to start his season, Snedeker followed with a top-25 at the Humana Challenge, second place at the Farmers Insurance Open and now another runner-up finish in Phoenix.

Apparently I need to start wearing a horribly oversized golf visor whenever I play.