Big Play

WHO: AngelCabrera

WHAT: 169-yardnine-iron from the first cut to 18 inches

WHERE: 500-yardpar-4 15th hole at Oakmont

WHEN: Final round,U.S. Open

WHY
Cabrera used his nervousness to his advantage, taking the time he needed tocalm down before each shot in order to think out his options. Once he steppedup to hit, his steep, cut swing gave him another advantage. The Trevino-likeaction creates a lot of lag and compresses the ball, producing a high fade withplenty of spin. That helped his approaches, such as the one to 15, stay onOakmont's slick greens.

JIM'S TIP
Hit Down to Impart Spin

Amateurs usuallyuncock their wrists too early, causing them to scoop shots. To consistently hitdown and compress the ball, use this lag drill. Put a ball six inches behindthe ball you're hitting and put a tee an inch ahead of your ball (inset). Ifyour downswing is steep enough, and if you sustain your wrist cock untilimpact, you'll miss the rear ball, hit your ball and whack the tee.

Jim Suttie teaches at Cog Hill Golf & Country Club in Lemont, Ill.

PHIL'SPHOIBLES

For a guy with 31PGA Tour victories, including three majors, Phil Mickelson gets second-guesseda lot. Some of the Monday-morning quarterbacking is undeserved, but much of itis grounded in a history of less-than-stellar thinking or reasonable decisionsthat didn't turn out very well. Here's a look at Phil's most questionable callsand how they rank for boneheadedness.

PHOTO

FRED VUICH (WOODS)