Losing someone close to you is never easy and when that person is the sole reason behind your success, the agony becomes overwhelming. For Phil Mickelson, there’s one such person. Their journey began in 2004 given Mickelson’s keen interest in shaking off the tag of “best player to have never won a major.” At that point, Mickelson had gone through 43 major appearances without a single win. His conclusion? He needed someone exceptional to help him reduce his average score by a quarter of a stroke per round.

He met Dave Pelz who belonged to NASA before golf. What a far reach. After retiring, he spent the next 50 years applying statistical research to golf instruction in a bid to help golfers shave strokes. We don’t know about anyone else, but Phil Mickelson will raise his hand and tell you it worked. Though shocked that someone like Mickelson was asking for his help, Pelz developed a program called “AEMAX.” Meaning, “Analyze your game. Eliminate your weakness. And Maximize your ability to score.”

The result was Phil Mickelson’s 2004 Masters win. And Mickelson never stopped accepting that Pelz’s data collection was a great help. Sitting down in 2016 for an interview, he said: “Dave found that the average bunker shot is 10 yards, so I practiced from that distance, and I went from 180th in sand saves in 2006 to third two years later.”

So, without a doubt, Dave Pelz’s passing has come as a huge shock to Phil Mickelson. Taking to X, he wrote: “I have so many things to say about this incredible man. I owe so much of my success to the many things he taught me and he lives on as I share those same insights to numerous other golfers. The laughs we shared along the way is what I cherish most and I look forward to paying tribute to this great man with “Pelz stories” in the near future. Rest in peace my friend.” The 85-year-old legendary coach died due to complications from prostate cancer.

Mickelson’s unexpected second PGA Championship marked his sixth major title, placing him alongside legends like Nick Faldo and Lee Trevino. Pelz had his hands in Mickelson’s four major titles and yet he believed that Mickelson wasn’t the greatest player golf had seen. ‘Phil Mickelson is not the world’s greatest athlete – he’s a good athlete but he’s not the greatest.” Despite that, they worked together. Besides Mickelson, Pelz has his hands in 19 major titles among different golfers. And he is not alone in this mourning. Let’s take a look at a few of the fan reactions.

The golf world is mourning for Dave Pelz

With his book Dave Pelz’s Short Game Bible, Pelz established himself as something akin to a short-game master. He emphasized the significance of shots from 100 yards and closer, where nearly 80% of strokes lost to par happen. Besides this, he also highlighted the importance of putting. It accounts for 43% of the game, advocating for focused practice in that particular area. On his passing, fans couldn’t help but recall his short-game genius. One fan replied: “His book absolutely transformed my short game when I was 15. A real golf genius who will be missed.”

Another fan commented, “Great legacy as an innovator and a man.” Take a look at The Dave Pelz Putting Tutor. It’s a 9-inch plastic training aid that he designed to help golfers with their putting in 2007. It emphasizes that every putt should start straight, using a white line for alignment users to strike the ball with a square face. If a putt is pushed, marbles at the end of the board will react, providing feedback. That’s just one of Pelz’s legacy in the golf world.

One of the fans said: “Sorry to learn of Dave’s passing. He was a true industry, putting & data trendsetter. A golf legend that changed the game of golf for better.” Dubbed “Professor Putt,” Pelz’s “Putt Like the Pros” has been pretty popular among golf fans. After deciding that most golfers were terrible at putting, he talked with experts and developed a putter featuring plastic golf balls extending from the face to form a target line for golfers. He found that adding more balls improved aiming accuracy.

Ultimately, he chose three balls and developed two versions of the putter. The first one with a 2 1/8-inch wide face and a 5 1/8-inch wide back piece. And another that reversed the blades, placing the longer one in front and the shorter one in back. Besides everything else, he will always be remembered for his fine-tuned designs and analytical approach. The next two fans seemed to be in mourning and didn’t say much other than “Rip Dave Pelz,” and “RIP short game legend.” We hope he rests in peace.