Little things mar Phil’s opening 70
LA QUINTA, Calif. – Phil Mickelson is in his first year as the tournament host for the PGA Tour’s stop now known as The American Express.
And in his first competitive round of 2020 on Thursday, he spent a lot of time interacting with the gallery. Unfortunately, that came not from his kind-spirited nature but from a lack of accuracy off the tee.
Mickelson was wild off the tee – hitting just five of 14 fairways – but still showed plenty of game racking up par saves and making birdie on all four par-5s to put together an up-and-down round of 2-under-par 70 at La Quinta Country Club.
Mickelson wasn’t in bad spirits about the round, but it’s a far cry from his sizzling opening 60 on the same course last year that gave him the lead. The 10stroke difference came down to little things, according to Lefty.
“I actually had a good fun day today. I didn’t score as well as I could have or wanted to, but I really had a good day ... maybe a little bit rusty, but it was a good first day,” said Mickelson, who finished last year’s tournament at 25 under and one shot behind first-time PGA Tour winner Adam Long. “Certainly wasn’t last year, but we’ve got three more days to continue to build on it.
“Feel like I’m ready to go on a tear,” said Mickelson, a tournament winner in the desert in 2002 and 2004. “Felt like 70 was the worst I could’ve shot today, and I’m going to come out tomorrow and get it going.”
By comparison, Mickelson had 10 birdies and an eagle in last year’s 60. On Thursday, he had five birdies and no eagles.
His wildness started on the fourth hole, when his drive drifted through the fairway and into the rough by the gallery.
“Morning folks, just thought I’d come say (hello) to everybody,” he joked as he approached the ball.
He saved par on that hole and birdied the back-to-back par-5s to move him to 3 under. He drained about a 35-footer for birdie on the par-3 third hole.
But on the eighth hole his wildness cost him. He hit his tee shot left into a water hazard. After hitting his approach into the bunker, Mickelson came up with an average sand shot and then two-putted for a double-bogey.
He then lived up to his nickname on the ninth hole with a drive that went so far left, it took marshals a few seconds to find it. The shot went left of the ninth fairway and left of the first fairway which runs next to the ninth. It almost went out of bounds onto the driving range, but it stayed in. He was able to get the ball on the green and two-putt for par.
Mickelson’s back nine featured a chip-in birdie on No. 13, a hole that started with a 342-yard drive as Mickelson is still “hitting bombs” at age 49. But there wasn’t much magic left in the round. He finished with four pars and a bogey on 17.
On Wednesday during a news conference, Mickelson talked about an increase in clubhead speed over the last year, which doesn’t usually happen to 49-year-olds. Mickelson entered the tournament as physically fit as he’s been in decades, according to his assessment, and he expects that improved health and eating habits to lead to a successful 2020.
“The ability to recover quicker after a round or practice session. The ability to practice longer and the ability to focus a little bit better throughout the practice session has all been better, so I feel like my game is a little bit sharper,” he said.