Move over, Phil Mickelson. There's a new king in town.
Mickelson probably has one of the best driver-off-the-deck (DOD) shots in his arsenal in all of golf. His DOD swing is smoother than a stick of butter that has been microwaved for seven seconds. He'll whip out the driver with almost 300 yards to the pin and roll the ball up onto the green, making it look incredibly easy even though it's anything but that. (RELATED: Legendary Golfer Phil Mickelson Reacts To Daniel Penny Case)
Well, on Christmas Eve, we may have found the new DOD king. The Daily Caller's John Loftus hit one of the greatest shots we have ever seen with his driver off a fairway that was basically frozen solid. It was a DOD shot that rivals some of Mickelson's best ones over the years -- and it was all caught on camera.
Loftus was playing a scramble with this brother-in-law, and the boys were absolutely dialed in throughout the entire round. On the first long par five of the day, Loftus piped his drive straight down the fairway. His brother-in-law hit the next shot, a nicely placed layup, setting up a third shot within 150 yards of the pin. Loftus briefly considered hitting a layup as well, and perhaps get a bit closer for an easier third. But, deep down inside, Loftus wanted to cook.
Why not roll the dice? Why not go for the green? Why not unleash the driver, and let it bark? Sometimes, the driver needs to go in timeout mode. But other times, the driver needs to have its day.
Loftus wanted glory. He wanted a chance, a faint glimmer of hope, for an eagle. The only way to do that was to use the driver. His 3-wood hybrid was not going to get him there. He needed Big Papi.
The thing about the DOD shot is that even if you swing true and straight, the ball is most likely going to slice like hell. So you need to aim away from your target almost to an absurd degree and trust the ball will slice right where you want it to go.
That's just what Loftus did. He aimed as if he were trying to hit the tee box on the following hole. He let the club do the work. No need to push Big Papi over the edge; just let Big Papi work his magic.
It was one of the cleanest shots Loftus has ever hit. As he watched the ball snake by the green-side bunker and roll nearly onto the green, he was almost shocked it worked. He barely reacted. It was the stuff of legends.
Watch the video here.
P.S., The boys missed their eagle chip by a fraction, however they did make eagle on the final hole.