Mickelson makes PGA Tour Champions debut on Monday
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Phil Mickelson would much rather have been playing in the final round of The Northern Trust on Sunday, not only because he believes his game is rounding into shape but because it might mean he was still alive in the PGA Tour playoffs.
Plus, he would be able to continue a nice ramp-up toward the U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
Fortunately for Mickelson, though, he celebrated his 50th birthday in June. Such a milestone might bring a shudder to many folks, but it actually worked out quite nicely for him. It grants him access to the PGA Tour Champions, and that means he can keep fine-tuning his game when he makes his debut on the 50-and-over circuit at Ozarks National on Monday.
“I didn't really want two weeks off. I've been working hard on my game. I want to get out and play,” Mickelson said, “so this worked out really well. It's such a beautiful place. I'm a big fan of Bill Coore (and) Ben Crenshaw golf course designs, and we are here playing one of the best. And it's a beautiful area, so I'm excited to compete.”
Mickelson was just inside the playoff cut line heading into The Northern Trust, but an opening 74 took him out of contention for playing the weekend. It also took him out of the BMW Championship next week and shot down any hopes of making the season-ending Tour Championship, leaving only the Safeway Open before heading to the year's second major championship.
So, rather t han sulk about it, Mickelson hopped a plane to the Ozark Mountains of southwest Missouri, where he found himself among plenty of familiar faces for the Charles Schwab Series.
Fellow tour rookies Ernie Els and Jim Furyk, both of whom already have won this season, are in the field at the picturesque course at Big Cedar Lodge. So is former Masters winner Mike Weir and former Players champion K.J. Choi, and his pairing includes good friends and longtime rivals Steve Stricker and Retief Goosen.
“I haven't seen them in a long time,” Mickelson said. “Grew up playing with
them for a number of years, and it's exciting for me to come out here and see so many people I know. On the regular tour, I don't know a lot of the guys now.”
Mickelson has had a roller-coaster season so far, finishing second at the WGC-FedEx St. Jude Invitational and third at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am back in March. He also made the cut at the recent PGA Championship at Harding Park in San Francisco, though he faded well off the pace over the weekend. But he also has missed six cuts, including this week at The Northern Trust, leaving him with both optimism in his game but clearly defined areas that need work.
“I love playing and competing, and heading into the U.S. Open, I'll play the week before in Napa, but I didn't want to have two weeks off when I've been working hard on my game,” he said. “I was really wanting to play and compete in the playoffs, so it was a disappointing first round and it's fun for me to have a chance to come play.”
Woods plays super round at Northern Trust on Sunday
Tiger Woods didn't bring his A-game to TPC Boston on Friday or Saturday, but he certainly had it early on Sunday.
The 15- time major champion got off to a blistering start, making birdie on the first four holes of his final round at the Northern Trust, the first of three events in the PGA Tour's season-ending FedEx Cup Playoffs. Woods signed his name to a 5-under 66, walking off the course 6-under for the tournament, T-58.
The 44-year-old briefly cooled off with a pair of pars before sandwiching a lone bogey on No. 8 between two more birdies on Nos. 7 and 9 to make the turn at 5-under 31 (6 under for the tournament).
The back nine at TPC Boston is considerably more difficult than the front, especially the stretch of Nos. 10-14. Woods was blemish-free on the back nine, making par on every hole.
The two-time FedEx Cup champion (2007 and 2009) will ride this momentum to Olympia Fields Country Club just outside Chicago f or next week's BMW Championship.