LIV Golf Highlights: Phil Mickelson vs Jon Rahm of Michigan
Jon Rahm's highlights in the semifinals of the LIV Golf Championship at Saint John's on Saturday, August 23, 2025.
There are eight major titles between Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm. Everyone is at the peak of golf.
It's obvious why they have the largest crowd of all 18 games in the St. John's Masters in Plymouth Town in the semifinals of the Liv Golf Team Championship.
So, what can an average golfer learn from these two behemoths of the sport?
No, most of us can't hit it for 320 yards and then spin the ball to stop for a dime around the green.
But after watching all 17 holes, there are some lessons learned, as Rahm's Rahm is Rahm of the 12th Legion, defeating Mickelson of the hyflyers of 2 and 1. It was an exciting game when Rahm drained a 20-foot birdie putt on 17 of the 4th and released the only big fist pump in the game to help his four-man team advance to the three-team championship Sunday afternoon. (The winning four-person stock was allocated $14 million.)
Here are four tips for golfers to get into the range and course.
1. Tall T-shirt, let it fly
Want to hit the ball further away from the driver? You have to try to hit the ball further first – a club that encourages doing so.
Don't be afraid to get the ball higher and then dip the trail's shoulders and ears below the lead shoulders and ears to carry more by hitting it.
Both Rahm and Mickelson blew the ball high, and Mickelson's entire ball was exposed above the driver's crown when he placed the ball behind the racing field.
Rahm, 30, always over Mickelson, 55, is 30-50 yards away, even several times more than that – but Mickelson still hits a lot. He almost drove the green on the 375 yard 4-shot No. 1 downhill.
2. Pull the driver, not 3 wood… Usually
Both players hit the driver in almost every non-PAR-3 hole, both positive. As long as you have trouble playing the game, it is a smarter strategy, as long as there are 3 Mumu no longer accurate and the increased distance from the driver is no longer accurate and allows you to knock a shorter club into the green.
Mickelson's serve game was as good as Saturday's Rahm, or even better. Other things we have to do cost Mickelson.
Two good friends are in the semifinals of the Liv Michigan Team Championship at Saint John's The Cardinal after Jon Rahm vs Phil Mickelson. pic.twitter.com/coxmwi1qg4
– MA Alter (@marlowealter) August 23, 2025
3. Jon Rahm's Tips
Even professionals can struggle to hit the lush roughness. The Cardinal's defense is largely shorter lengths (6,980 yards) than professionals usually play in the second year since being reimagined as a championship stadium.
Ram missed the 4th fairway and I couldn't see the ball while standing 10 yards away. Ram said even he couldn't figure it out and took a “hot hope” approach, probably 100 yards, almost avoiding a fairway in a stream. The ball ended with him and he was forced to play third from the cart road. (He shotgun to Mickelson and admitted to Mickelson.
Ram said most average golfers must not be rougher than 5-6 inches in some places in the Cardinal, but does provide a tip: If the lies and/or the position is bad, it does provide a trick: “Take the medicine.”
“A lot of the time, you grab the club, open your face, swing as much as you can, hoping it goes straight,” Ram said. “If you don't have speed, you won't be able to do much. If the lie is too bad, reach it to the fairway and try again from there.
“You never really spin it. It's going to be straight. … I'm going to say that taking the medicine and keep moving forward.”
Even the best thing to capture in roughness. Seeing the ball from 5 yards, Ram covered the ball on the 4th hole and was lucky enough to avoid the free throw area. Then use the cart path to play the green with a towering wedge. Phil won the hole, 1 to 4. #livgolfmichigan pic.twitter.com/u3zc4tbajm
– MA Alter (@marlowealter) August 23, 2025
Both Rahm and Mickelson showed short witchcraft around the green and hit the rough roughness. They both have a few times on the short side and have a good look at making putts by opening the club's face on a possible rift wedge and swinging the ball out into the air at speed and having a chance to land gently for a good look at making putts.
Most golfers do not compete in matches under tournament conditions and are best limited by a low club hitting big chunks and running.
But if you are in a bad place, Miss Green, need to pop the ball in the air and quickly pop the ball, open your face – which will look frightening at first – and swing at speed. Before you practice, be satisfied with it during the practice.
4.
The old golf idiom is “display drive, push rod dough”, at least in the second half. That was born on Saturday’s game.
Mickelson didn’t put the putters at 7 or 8 feet Saturday, which is how the game is different. He made birdies in 4 strokes 1 and 5 strokes, failing to capitalize from numerous appearances at 15-30 feet, causing him to put his hands on his hips many times while some fans groaned. (Mickelson was also awarded the 17th birdie in Ram's game.)
Rahm started slowly, saying that his youngest daughter (who hasn't learned to stand yet) might be better than putting the next day. But Ram said he felt better on the green after practicing on Saturday after losing to 2 and 1's singles match on Friday, August 22.
He said.
Ram finally ran a 12-foot position on the hillside of Rod 8 on Rod 4, halving the hole and then sank a 25-foot ball at 25 feet, even in the beautiful Rod 999.
Rahm attributed to six birdies (including two after Mickelson bogeyed) that he kept himself confident and scored good putts all day. He called Ray Hearn-designed greens at times “quite tricky” and putts breaking much more or less than he saw.
Now, Ram has the last laugh at his good friend. A few months ago, he played against Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Grant Horvat on YouTube, who lost in the battle, with YouTube having 4 million views in both Part 1 and Part 2.
“I'm glad I can hold it on his head whenever he takes me to lose to him and Grant,” Ram said. “This is the latest win.”
Marlowe Alter is an assistant sports editor at Detroit Free Press. Send him an email: [email protected]. You can occasionally find his Michigan golf course content on X and more: @marlowealter.
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