Swing sequence: Phil Mickelson, 2018 WGC-Mexico Championship

Lefty is setting up to crush it over the corner of this dogleg right. His alignment is very square and I like how his shoulders are on top of his toes - an indication of a powerful, balanced address position.

A classic one-piece takeaway. Phil’s upper body is rotating the address position away from the target and he’s maintaining the triangle between his arms and shoulders. There is no extra wrist movement at all.

Phil’s lead arm turns right into what I call the “backswing slot” - meaning, underneath the jaw and above the trail shoulder (which you’ll see in the next frame). He remains very balanced and athletic.

A picture-perfect pivot, which is the most important fundamental for any player in golf. His back leg is braced and is fully absorbing the turn from his upper body. The leg doesn’t budge and the upper body coils on top of his trail knee.

As Phil transitions down, the shaft practically sits on top of his trail shoulder. This demonstrates just how flexible his wrists are (most golfers can only hinge their wrists 90 degrees; Phil’s are closer to 120 degrees). His knees begin to separate, stabilizing his hips as he begins to push down into the ground.

Phil’s chest is rotating powerfully around to the right, toward the target, which pulls his arms out in front of his body and helps him maintain the clubhead’s lag well into the downswing and impact.

As Phil rotates through his hips are extending toward the target and he’s launching himself off the ground, which helps pull the club up into the ball. As a result, Phil launches the ball fairly high (12.97 degrees), a key to carrying the ball far (298.2 yards) and hitting long drives.

Phil has a noticeable amount of side bend here, which helps him put the club back on-plane. His lead arm is once again above his trail shoulder and his hips and chest are facing the target and leading his body where it wants to go.

BEST MOVE: What’s not to like here - a classic finish with the trail shoulder and belt buckle facing the target, and everything in balance. Phil goes at it fast (115 mph-plus swing speed) but swings within his speed limit, which is essential for playing long and powerful shots. He is averaging more than 300 yards per drive for the first time since 2015.

Virgil Herring is the director of golf at the Ensworth School and Performance Center in Nashville, Tenn. His students include two former PGA and Web.com tour winners and more than 150 NCAA scholarship recipients. For more information about Virgil and to book a lesson, please click here

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Swing sequence: Phil Mickelson