Phil Mickelson won the Shall Houston Open on Sunday, bolstered largely by two stellar weekend rounds that have him primed for another run at this week’s Georgia State Invitational golf tournament in the town of Augusta. There were no “problems” in Houston (get it?) for Mickelson, whose 2011 season “lifted off” with a course-record 63 on Saturday. He followed that with a 7-under-par 65 on Sunday to win by three shots. With the win he “launched” himself to No. 3 in the official world golf rankings and No. 2 in the FedExCup standings. (Those were NASA puns, by the way. Because NASA has a space center in Houston. And the tournament was also in Houston. So both things are in Houston. Surely, you see the connection there.)

Here is what Phil had in the bag:
RAZR Hawk Prototype Driver (9.5 degrees), Big Bertha Diablo 3-wood (15 degrees), RAZR X muscle back irons (5-PW), X-Forged Irons (3-iron and 4-iron), X-Series JAWS Wedges (52, 60 and 64 degrees), Odyssey White Hot XG #9 Putter and the Tour i(z) Golf Ball. —> http://www. worldwidegolfshops.com

Mickelson thanks Callaway after victory
Here’s what Phil said following his win:
“This week is a great example of why I believe in 2004 signing with Callaway was the best decision I ever made for my career. Because when I had a bit of an issue, the head of R & D flew out, and because I’ve been experimenting with a couple drivers, he wanted to make sure I had the right ones. He brought the backups. I drove it great all week. It’s a great example of why I feel that was the best decision I’ve ever made for my career, and I went on to win this week. And so I’m just very appreciative to the commitment they’ve made to me and that I get to be with them.”

What does winning mean to Phil? Watch this video to find out

Dressed for success, Mickelson wears Callaway apparel
330-yard drives and a birdie putting barrage is all well and good, but let’s be honest: the real story of the week was the breathability of Mickelson’s Callaway shirts. Phil wore Callaway apparel and Callaway footwear on his way to victory. (Those were some flashy brown kicks on Saturday, by the way.)

NOTES:

Phil’s stats
Mickelson used his Callaway RAZR Hawk Driver to average 314.6 yards off the tee this week, 6 best in the field. He also tied for 3 in the field in putts per GIR, averaging 1.643 for the tournament using his Odyssey White Hot XG #9 Putter. With his RAZR X muscle back irons, X-Forged irons and JAWS Wedges, Lefty hit 78 percent of greens in regulation; 11 best in the field. He also caused Lee Westwood’s caddie to bow down in reverence after a spicy chip-in on Saturday with his JAWS Wedge.

J.B. Holmes leads field in driving distance

Phil Mickelson wasn’t the only one producing NASA-style liftoffs with his Callaway driver in Houston. J.B. Holmes led the field in average driving distance by averaging an absurd 326 yards with his Callaway FT Tour Driver.