MICKELSON SHOOTS 12-UNDER 60 IN HIS 2019 DEBUT

At Desert Classic, he ties career-low score he last shot in 2013.

Phil Mickelson still feels as young as ever. He still plays that way, too.

Mickelson began his 27th full season as a pro Thursday by flirting with one of the few feats he hasn’t accomplished: golf ’s magic number. The 48-yearold left-hander still shot a 12-under 60 in the Desert Classic, tying his careerlow score he last shot in the Phoenix Open six years ago. It was the most under par he has been in any of the 2,077 rounds he has played on the PGA Tour.

“It was a kind of a lucky day for me in the sense that I did not feel sharp heading in,” Mickelson said. “I haven’t really had the intense practice sessions that I would like, but I felt like all parts were OK, and it just clicked. Some days you have those days where it just clicked. And the bad shots that I hit, I got away with. I was able to kind of not have the big score.”

Needing to play the final two holes in 2 under to shoot 59 on the foggy, rainy day at La Quinta (Calif.) Country Club, Mickelson missed a 15-foot birdie try on the par-4 17th before holing a 9-footer for birdie on the par-4 18th.

The Desert Classic is the only PGA Tour event to yield two sub-60 rounds. David Duval had a 59 at PGA West’s Palmer Course when he won in 1999. Adam Hadwin shot 59 at La Quinta in 2017.

“I was aware of it,” Mickelson said. “I was giving it all I had, and I had a good chance. On 17, I hit a nice tee shot in a good spot to kind of hook a sand wedge into that back right pin for me. And I hit a good shot, I had 18 feet though, I should have hit that closer, but still had a good chance to make the putt. Made a good birdie on 18. That’s not an easy hole for me, that shot the way it sits along the water.”

Mickelson had a threestroke lead over Adam Long, the 31-year-old PGA Tour rookie who finished off a 63 in the dark on PGA West’s Nicklaus Tournament Course. Long eagled the par-5 fourth and had seven birdies — five in a row from Nos. 9-13 — in an eight-hole stretch.

The tournament winner in 2002 and 2004, Mickelson will play the Nicklaus Course today and PGA West’s adjacent Stadium Course — also the site of the final round — on Saturday. He won the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship last year for his 43rd PGA Tour title and first since the 2013 British Open.

Australia’s Curtis Luck was third at 64, also playing La Quinta.

Hadwin was at 65 with Trey Mullinax, Wyndham Clark and Martin Laird. Hadwin played the Stadium Course, Mullinax and Laird opened on the Nicklaus layout, and Clark was at La Quinta.

Defending champion Jon Rahm shot a 66 at La Quinta.

European Tour: Shane Lowry of Ireland recovered from two early bogeys Thursday by hitting enough good shots for a 2-under 70, giving him a one-shot lead going into the weekend at the Abu Dhabi Championship.

Louis Oosthuizen and Richard Sterne of South Africa each shot 68 and were one shot behind.

Three-time major champion Brooks Koepka, who has a chance to return to No. 1 in the world this week, bogeyed the 18th hole for a 70 and was five shots behind. Dustin Johnson had a 71 and was eight shots behind.

Another shot back was Tommy Fleetwood, who is going for a third straight title in Abu Dhabi. Fleetwood had to make an 8-foot birdie on his last hole for a 72 to make the cut on the number.

LPGA Tour: Brooke Henderson birdied five of her last eight holes for a 6-under 65, giving her a share of the lead with EunHee Ji in the season-opening Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions at Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

The 26-player field is for LPGA winners from each of the last two seasons.

Ariya Jutanugarn, the world’s No. 1 player who captured every major award last year, opened with a 67.

JEFF GROSS / GETTY IMAGES Phil Mickelson plays in Thursday’s first round of the Desert Classic in La Quinta, California. His 12-under 60 was the most under par he has been in any of the 2,077 rounds he has played on the PGA Tour.