Veteran pro Mark Baldwin got a surprising offer of help from Phil Mickelson, and now the Q-School hopeful has detailed just what great lengths Lefty went to as he tried to help him achieve his PGA Tour dream.
The six-time Major champion responded to a speculative social media message from Monday Q Info’s Ryan French, a good friend of Baldwin, and got an almost instant response and offer of help.
And now Baldwin has written an excellent piece on his 'Weekend at Phil's' and revealed just how much Mickelson put himself out to help him - opening up his home to him for some intensive short game work and also playing two matches with him over the same weekend.
Mickelson has had some mixed publicity over the years, some of it his own making, but he's also been a huge help to aspiring PGA Tour pros over the years, with Baldwin saying he's not the only one to have been helped by one of the greats.
Baldwin says he spoke to a friend of Mickelson's who told him: “Look, Phil’s a complicated guy.
“But he’s done this in the past. He takes a few players under his wing and helps them. He’s helped some financially. He doesn’t do it for publicity, and very few people ever hear about it. He just genuinely likes to help.”
And help was certainly what Mickelson provided for Baldwin, letting him come to his home, or the "Mickelson compound" as Baldwin calls it, and use his immense practice facilities, before organising a match alongside the 40-year-old to sharpen him up for the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School.
I would have been beyond thankful for an hour on the range with Phil…Instead, he devoted a weekend to helping me prepare for second stage of Q-school (while also winning the gross and net divisions of his member/member). This is a Thanksgiving story. https://t.co/pKn8AzCjTENovember 22, 2023
And in a truly gracious act, Mickelson even gave the 40-year-old the gate code to get into his home to practice his short game - with one of the greatest players with a wedge we've seen in golf.
“Look, you’ve got a long golf course for second stage and we need to have you really sharp around the greens,” Mickelson told Baldwin.
“It’ll free up your ball-striking and make a meaningful difference. We’re going to make some minor changes that will set you up for success. So I’m going to text you my address and the gate code. Tomorrow, show up at 8 a.m. I’ll have your coffee ready, and we’re going to get to work.”
And coffee aficionado Mickelson was again true to his word, handing Baldwin two boxes of his coffee to take him - free gifts to go along with free short game lessons from the master!
Mickelson also tells Baldwin to text him anytime with any questions ahead of Q-School and offers to meet him again.
“I know how important second stage is to your career,” Mickelson told Baldwin. “The difference between getting through and having a place to play versus having to wait another year is huge. I just want you to be as prepared as you can be because I know what it means.”
There's a detailed account of some of the pearls of wisdom Mickelson imparts during their practice and an 18-hole match at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club - but the main takeaway is just how involved Mickelson, a legend of the game, is in helping players try and achieve their dreams.
It's quite some read and may put the left-hander in a very different light.
