Phil Mickelson’s ability to play from bunkers is world famous. It is no coincidence that ‘Lefty’ is a reference in this aspect of golf, and most players appreciate any advice he can give them.

The quality of Phil Mickelson’s game from the sand reached its peak in 2005. From his wedges came a good portion of the shots that gave him four victories in that PGA Tour season, including a major.

By then, Phil Mickelson was already given to sharing his knowledge. An article of his, with tips on how to be successful playing from the bunker, was published in the August 2005 issue of Golf Digest.

In the article, Mickelson insisted on the importance of the player’s stance to achieve the perfect shot.

“In packed sand, you don’t want your wedge to hit the ground too early and bounce into the middle of the ball,” Mickelson wrote, “To prevent that, set your weight forward and tilt your spine toward the target. From there, you’ll automatically hit closer to the ball.”

“You’re playing this shot with an open clubface, so you won’t have any trouble getting the ball up. I can’t emphasize enough that your weight has to stay forward on bunker shots from firm sand,” he added.

On countless occasions throughout his playing career, Phil Mickelson has been seen advising other players on how to improve their game from the sand. Recently, videos were released of him conducting training sessions with LIV Golf colleagues Caleb Surrat and Bryson DeChambeau.

A look back at Phil Mickelson’s 2005 season

By 2005, Phil Mickelson was already one of the top stars in world golf. Before the start of that season, ‘Lefty’ had won 23 of his 45 victories on the PGA Tour. However, his first major title had come just the year before (2004), when he won the Masters for the first time.

That season, Mickelson reached four victories, the most for a single season in his career. He won the FBR Open (now known as the Phoenix Open), the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the BellSouth Classic and the PGA Championship, his second major.

One of his victories (the BellSouth Classic) was in a playoff that pitted five tied players against each other. Mickelson had to play five extra holes but eventually defeated Arjun Atwal, Rich Beam, Jose Maria Olazabal and Brandt Jobe.

The results of that season went far beyond that for Mickelson. He played 21 tournaments and missed only one cut: at the Michelin Championship at Las Vegas, his last event of the year.

In addition to his four victories, Mickelson had one second place (Ford Championship at Doral) and four other top 10s. Between January and May, he had three wins, three other Top 10s and two other Top 15s in 10 events played. That period included the Masters Tournament, where he finished 10th.