Lefty’s Presidents Cup plan in doubt
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Phil Mickelson spent a lot of time shaking his head yesterday in the 99th PGA Championship. It wasn’t because the 47-year-old was happy with what he was seeing.
For the second straight year, Mickelson failed to make the cut in two of the four majors, packing his car yesterday after shooting 79-74-153. That was 11-over par at Quail Hollow and a premature end to his 100th major championship appearance.
Until the past two years, Mickelson had only once failed to make the cut in two majors in the same year. But now it’s becoming a thing, although Mickelson didn’t see it that way.
“It’s been two majors,” he said. “I’ve played fine this year. I made every cut up to the British. Just been these last two majors.” Not exactly. Mickelson has not won a tournament in four years and of late has been failing to make the cut in majors, so one wonders. Not Lefty. “It’s not like I’m hitting the ball crooked,” Mickelson said. “I’m just hitting it in the wrong spots. Not really controlling my thought process, where I want the ball to go. I’m not real focused out there.
“I’m having a hard time visualizing the shot. I’m having a tough time controlling my thoughts and not letting it wander to what I don’t want to have happen.”
Mickelson’s problems have left him facing the possibility he will not be an automatic qualifier for the Presidents Cup team. Team captain Steve Stricker spoke of the dilemma that has created for him.
“He told me he wants to be on the team more than anything,” Stricker said. “I’d love to see him on the team, but like anybody else I’ve got to see who’s playing well at the time.
“I know he’s struggling a bit right now but I told him I’d like to see him play well here on out to show me something. That doesn’t sound right coming from a guy like me talking to Phil — ‘Hey, show me something.’ That doesn’t sound right.”
True, but at this stage of his career it is right, and if Mickelson can’t get right in the next month Stricker’s decision won’t be difficult. It just won’t be pleasant.
Fowler’s time?
With all the focus on Jordan Spieth’s quest to become the youngest to win the career Grand Slam this week, Rickie Fowler has been doing what is nearly impossible for him. He’s flown under the radar.
But with Spieth’s dream fading and Fowler 5 shots off the lead at 3-under, eyes have begun to turn toward perhaps the best young player yet to have won a major championship.
“In a good spot for the weekend,” Fowler said. “We’ll go battle it out. The biggest thing is staying patient and not getting ahead of ourselves and not trying to get too much out of it.
“It’s different than a normal tournament but with the way I’ve been playing, how I’ve been swinging this week and last week I know I can win this week. This week I’m going to have a good chance.”
Fowler finished top five in all four majors in 2014, including tying for second in both the U.S. Open and the British, and the expectation was his time soon would come. It has now been three years and he’s been top 10 only once, finishing T5 at this year’s U.S. Open. Naturally if the rest of the golf world keeps wondering when he’ll break through, is he doing the same?
“You can only think about it so much,” Fowler said. “I’ve got to manage that properly. I got to the point when I finished top five in all four majors I felt good there. But kind of at a standstill (since).
“This year I feel like it’s been a new level of how comfortable and how good I felt in the majors. Definitely a big improvement from where I was last year in the majors. Nice to be in contention in the first two and back in a good spot here.”
Rains becomes an ally
The leaderboard began to tighten after a rain delay of 1 hour and 43 minutes. The greens seemed to soften and slow and scores began to fall. Hideki Matsuyama birdied five of the final six holes to come in at 7-under for the day, tying leader Kevin Kisner.
Chris Stroud even managed to birdie No. 1 after the rain delay. It was the hardest hole on the course for the first day and a half. That got Stroud to 5-under.
Jason Day and Louis Oosthuizen also rallied fiercely in the afternoon, after two bouts of showers softened the course, to climb the leaderboard and get into contention.