WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS - At first glance, it would seem Phil Mickelson is about to erase paw prints left by the Golden Bear.
Not really, Mickleson said Monday at Greenbrier Classic Media Day. In redesigning the Greenbrier course, he is not overriding what Jack Nicklaus did 40 years ago, but he has the green light to leave his signature.
"A lot of the holes got wiped out [by the 2016 flood], so we're putting in six new holes on the other side of the railroad tracks," Mickelson said. "There's some spectacular property, with some beautiful movement to the holes, some very natural elements we're going to integrate into these holes.
"I'm excited about the new six holes. In fact, we're going to do those first, so people can play the [current] holes that are still out there. There are some challenges around the lake, around 2, 3, 4, then 17 and 16, so we were able to circumnavigate around those, make some of those holes a little more enjoyable to play and have that flow a little bit better.
"We were able to take some of the old historical course itself, and integrate that back in."
Seth Raynor, an associate of Old White architect C.B. Macdonald, designed the course in 1924, and Nicklaus remade it in 1977 in preparation for the 1979 Ryder Cup. The course hosted a Senior PGA Tour event from 1985-87, and the 1994 Solheim Cup, the top women's match-play event.
The course is operating as a 12-hole layout until July 1, when the resort's website says it will close for Mickelson's redesign.
Lee Trevino, the resort's comical pro emeritus, couldn't resist a joke about the temporary track.
"I'm going to play the Greenbrier [instead of Old White], because it's only 12 holes and I can break 80," he quipped.
Mickelson's design portfolio isn't as voluminous as those of Nicklaus or other pro golfers, but his design team is on the move. He has a couple of courses in China, one underway in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and a project about to be announced in south Asia.
His first product, opened in 2001, was the Lower Course at the Whisper Rock Golf Club at Scottsdale, Arizona.
"That's been well-received in the sense that we have 50 PGA and Champions tour players who are members there, all paying members," he said. "We have great practice facilities, and I learned a lot in that process."
He said he approaches his projects with more of a "3-iron on the ground" thought, rather than the aerial concept with limited landing areas and forced carries. He wants to make the course playable for average players, yet challenging for the pros and definitely fun for all.
Remember, this is a man who enjoys a creative shot. He is particularly excited about one particular hole he will build on the Greenbrier course.
"We're having a downhill par-4 that's kind of a fun, drivable hole," he said. "For the average guy, the ball will run down the hill, end up in the fairway [and] he'll have a little wedge on. But we'll have a very difficult bunker to get out of for the good player who's trying to drive it onto the green, but when you're hitting a wedge it's not really in play.
"Those little nuances are how you make a course playable for the average guy but challenging for the good player, and we have the opportunity to do that on a lot of these holes."
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Mickelson will turn 47 during the U.S. Open, which he almost certainly will miss to attend his daughter's high school graduation.
He is still hanging with all those 20-somethings who have invaded the PGA Tour - he is 43rd in the point standings, has earned $1.37 million and has not missed a cut.
Yet he has not won since the 2013 British Open and is stuck on 42 career victories. He could be the second-oldest player in the Greenbrier Classic field, behind 51-year-old John Daly.
Mickelson hasn't missed the cut this year, but he hasn't made a cut in three chances at the Old White TPC. Any pressure, Phil?
"I think the the biggest challenge here is adjusting to the fact that the ball goes a little longer here, which all golfers should enjoy," he said. "I find it being a challenge in getting my distance control dialed in.
"Spending more time here is helping. So as I spend more time here, I play more practice rounds, it gives me an opportunity to get that one area I felt cost me those years, get that fine-tuned."