290 lines
7.9 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
290 lines
7.9 KiB
Plaintext
Executable File
sport
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golf
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mastersaugusta
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8430843
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-----
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# The Masters 2011: Phil Mickelson determined to ensure his back goes the full
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distance in Augusta
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## Phil Mickelson stirred a flutter of anxiety among his fans at Augusta
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National on Tuesday when he disclosed that, in place of a day's practice, he
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had been to see a back specialist.
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![PHIL MICKELSON][1]
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Long ambition: Phil Mickelson has been gearing up the the long fairways of
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Augusta for some time Photo: GETTY IMAGES
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[![Oliver Brown][2]][3]
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By [Oliver Brown][4] 9:15PM BST 05 Apr 2011
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[Follow Oliver Brown on Twitter][5]
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[Comments][6]
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Mercifully for the legions who have come to cheer his challenge for a fourth
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green jacket, the defending champion was not reporting an injury concern.
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Instead, the visit was designed to help him unlock some extra power off the
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tee.
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Mickelson, who was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis last summer, explained:
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"This week is the one where I swing the absolute hardest. I've been working
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out for it. I saw a back specialist last night just to make sure that my back
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hangs in there.
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"It feels terrific, but I've been working on it for some time to make sure
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it's strong enough to withstand the type of rotational speed that I'm going to
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be trying to apply this week. I believe it's a big advantage if you can move
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it out there."
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Twenty hours before the tournament starts, Mickelson had yet to play a
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practice round at Augusta but he plans to remedy that problem today. His
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preparations had been disrupted by the fierce thunderstorm that swept across
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Georgia on Tuesday, softening the course and uprooting a tree on the fabled
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Magnolia Drive.
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On Augusta's 7,400-plus yard layout, the 40 year-old is so preoccupied with
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distance that he is carrying two drivers in his bag this week. Auspiciously,
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this is the same tactic he used in winning his second** [Masters][7]** title
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in 2006.
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## Related Articles
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* [Europe's golden generation][8]
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06 Apr 2011
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* [Butch Harmon's epic journey][9]
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06 Apr 2011
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* [Poulter writes off Woods][10]
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05 Apr 2011
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* [McDowell out with Woods][11]
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05 Apr 2011
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* [Westwood can win at Augusta][12]
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06 Apr 2011
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* [Poulter's memorable moments][13]
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05 Apr 2011
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Mickelson's eye for detail is painstaking: the second driver would, he argued,
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enable him to carry the bunkers at the first, second and eighth. It has a
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shaft an inch longer than the first and capable of propelling the ball 15-20
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yards further.
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In a touching gesture, he applied similar thought to his champion's dinner
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last night, introducing a Spanish theme in honour of the ailing Seve
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Ballesteros. The Spanish legend's fight against a brain tumour had, Mickelson
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stressed, reminded him of the pain his wife Amy had endured in battling breast
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cancer.
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"All of the past champions are thinking about Seve," Mickelson said. "And I
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know that when Amy and I went through the most difficult time of treatment,
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the players did a lot to let us know they were thinking about us. It gave us
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an emotional boost.
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"Honouring Seve is easy and no big deal, but I just want him to know that we
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all wish he was here. At 17, he was the guy I wanted to play with. I got into
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my first PGA Tour event, the San Diego Open, and was able to have a practice
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round with him. He was the classiest gentleman to me."
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[X][14] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][15]
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* Share: [Share][14] [ ][16] [ ][17]
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[Tweet][18]
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/mastersaugusta/8430843/The-Masters-2011
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-Phil-Mickelson-determined-to-ensure-his-back-goes-the-full-distance-in-
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Augusta.html
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Telegraph
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## [The Masters][7]
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* ### [Sport »][19]
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* ### [Golf »][20]
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* ### [Oliver Brown »][3]
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In sport
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[![The Masters 2011: after the choke][21] ][22]
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### [After the choke][22]
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[![][23] ][24]
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### [The Masters: final round][24]
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[![The Masters 2011: Rory McIlroy is a carefree dreamer with the golf world at
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his feet][25] ][26]
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### [Collapse worse than Norman's][26]
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[![][27]][28]
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### [Montgomerie's course guide][28]
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[X][14] Share & bookmark
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Delicious Facebook Google Messenger Reddit Twitter
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Digg Fark LinkedIn Google Buzz StumbleUpon Y! Buzz
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[What are these?][15]
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Share:
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* [ ][14]
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* [ ][16]
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* [ ][17]
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* [Tweet][18]
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* Advertisement
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![][29]
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telegraphuk
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Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.][30] [blog
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comments powered by Disqus][31]
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Advertisement
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## GOLF HIGHLIGHTS
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sponsored features
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[1]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01865/phil-
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mickelson_1865504c.jpg
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[2]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01817/Oliver-
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Brown_60_1817918j.jpg
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[3]: http://preview.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/oliver-brown/
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[4]: http://preview.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/oliver-brown/ (Oliver
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Brown)
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[5]: http://twitter.com/oliverbrown_tel
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[6]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/mastersaugusta/8430843/The-
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Masters-2011-Phil-Mickelson-determined-to-ensure-his-back-goes-the-full-
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distance-in-Augusta.html#disqus_thread
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[7]: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/golf/mastersaugusta/
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[8]: /sport/golf/mastersaugusta/8430591/The-Masters-2011-Generation-of-
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European-winners-at-Augusta-were-my-inspiration-says-Lee-Westwood.html
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[9]: /sport/golf/mastersaugusta/8430528/The-Masters-2011-Coach-Butch-
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[10]: /sport/golf/tigerwoods/8430012/The-Masters-2011-Ian-Poulter-writes-
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off-Tiger-Woods-chances-of-success-at-Augusta.html
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[11]: /sport/golf/mastersaugusta/8430008/The-Masters-2011-Graeme-McDowell-
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Augusta.html
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[13]: /sport/golf/mastersaugusta/8428672/The-Masters-2011-10-most-
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[14]: #
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distance-in-Augusta.html %0A%0AFor the best content online, visit
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[21]:
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http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01870/greg_norman_1870309g.jpg
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[22]: /sport/golf/mastersaugusta/8445071/The-Masters-2011-after-the-
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choke.html
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[23]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01869/Schwartzel_jacket__
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1869277g.jpg
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[24]: /sport/golf/mastersaugusta/8441797/The-Masters-final-round-in-
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pictures.html
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[25]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01869/rory-
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[26]: /sport/golf/mastersaugusta/8441878/The-Masters-2011-Rory-McIlroys-
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collapse-even-more-painful-than-Greg-Normans-Augusta-meltdown.html
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[27]: http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01867/Untitled-
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[28]: /sport/golf/mastersaugusta/8435278/The-Masters-2011-Colin-
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Montgomeries-Augusta-National-course-guide.html
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