Driver problems for Mickelson in his 2020 debut
Phil Mickelson drove so far left on the par4 ninth that he was in the rough behind a tree all the way across the adjacent first fairway.
While Lefty struggled off the tee Thursday at The American Express in his first PGA Tour round of the year, the drive through two fairways actually wasn’t a big miss because he was trying to hit into the first fairway to get a better angle to the back right pin.
“Takes the water out of play and I just have a much better angle,” said Mickelson, the 49yearold Hall of Famer competing for the first time since early November. “I actually pushed it a little bit across and got a little bit unlucky to be behind the tree, but I ended up just chipping a little wedge underneath it and getting it on.”
He made a tapin par there and shot 2underpar 70 at La Quinta Country Club (Riverside County) to fall six strokes behind leaders Zac Blair and Grayson Murray.
Murray and Blair shot 64 in sunny and mostly calm conditions.
Bernhard Langer and Miguel Angel Jimenez shot 8under 64 to share the firstround lead in the PGA Tour Champions’ seasonopening Mitsubishi Electric Championship in Ka’upulehi, Hawaii. Ernie Els struggled in his debut on the 50andover tour, shooting a 72. The fourtime major winner from South Africa turned 50 in October. Woody Austin opened with a 65, and Kenny Perry and Joe Durant shot 66.
American Danielle Kang birdied half of the holes at the LPGA’s seasonopening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions at Lake Buena Vista, Fla., and her 8under 63 was enough to carve out a twoshot lead. Gaby Lopez, Angela Stanford and Inbee Park, recently named the LPGA’s player of the decade, each opened at 65. College football: Baylor reportedly is finalizing a deal to make LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda the new coach of the Bears.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh is hiring Bob Shoop as a defensive assistant coach, according to the Athletic. Shoop, 53, was the defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Mississippi State over the past two seasons. He has a long track record coaching at the Power 5 level. WNBA: The WNBA season is expanding to a 36game schedule and adding the Commissioner’s Cup tournament. The league had a 34game schedule since 2003. The season begins on May 15 and ends Sept. 20. Each team will play 10 Cup games during the season with the last one on July 10. The games will be the first home and road games against conference opponents. The championship is between the top team in each conference in the Cup standings and is tentatively scheduled for Aug. 14.