Mickelson begins Masters prep on Champions tour
“I made so much more the last time I played that I just didn’t see the benefit.” Phil Mickelson, on skipping a PGA event in Las Vegas, where he won $ 9 million in one day
Phil Mickelson will begin his preparation for the Masters in earnest Friday at a place ( Richmond, Va.) and on a tour ( PGA Tour Champions) not typically associated with the regimen required to win a major.
The lefthander will make his second start on the 50andover circuit in the Dominion Energy Charity Classic at the Country Club of Virginia’s somewhat forgiving James River course.
Mickelson will be paired with fellow tour rookie Jim Furyk and defending champion Miguel Angel Jimenez.
In playing in Virginia for the first time since 1993, and in a $ 2 million event rather than seek an exemption into the $ 9 million CJ Cup at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, Mickelson joked that whatever he managed to do on that course would be “a letdown.”
It was at Shadow Creek two years ago that he won a $ 9 million, winner take all, made for television match against Tiger Woods.
“I made so much more the last time I played that I just didn’t see the benefit,” Mickelson said.
After this weekend, he plans to return to the PGA side for next week’s Zozo Championship
in Thousand Oaks ( Ventura County) and, after a week off, the Houston Open the week before the Masters.
Mickelson won his other start on the Champions tour, taking home $ 450,000 at the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National in Branson, Mo., in late August. He loved reconnecting with old friends on the tour, and said the atmosphere is conducive to prep work he needs.
“It helps me free up, work on the areas that I need to work on in my game. It’s very difficult to be competitive on the regular tour,” Mickelson said. “I’ve had a couple of good finishes, but it’s hard to be competitive week in and week out unless you drive the ball incredibly long and straight. The long part I’m OK with, it’s the straight part that I struggle with.”
PGA Tour: Tyrrell Hatton felt grumpy from not getting much sleep, and then he felt he was in a dream when he was 5under through the opening five holes of the CJ Cup at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas. The reality was that, even coming off an emotional win at Wentworth and a long trip from London across eight time zones, Hatton hasn’t lost his touch. He tied the course record of 7underpar 65 for a oneshot lead.
Hatton posted the lowest competitive round at Shadow Creek, mainly because this is the first PGA Tour event at the prestigious club. Dustin Johnson, not playing this week because of a positive test result for the coronavirus, had a 65 during a casual round in 2015.
Xander Schauffele birdied the par5 18th for a 66 and was one shot behind, along with Russell Henley. Jon Rahm and Tyler Duncan were another shot behind.
Rory McIlroy bogeyed his last three holes, a streak that began with him missing a 3foot par putt, for a 73.
Europe: Adrian Otaegui started with three birdies and just kept going, shooting a 10under 62 to take a threeshot lead after the first round of the Scottish Championship in Fife. The Spaniard had 10 birdies in a flawless round.