Mickelson in good form
Phil Mickelson is so enthused about how well he is hitting the ball that he was looking forward to tough, windy conditions along the ocean Friday at Pebble Beach, Calif.
He didn’t get what he wanted, and had few complaints.
Mickelson only had to cope with the cold and rain – but not much wind – and that helped him sail to a 5-under 67 and a share of the lead with Jim Furyk at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.
“It was a good day. We got a pretty good draw,” Mickelson said. “It was a little windy the last three or four holes, but I’m not going to complain. We had a great day to take advantage of scoring.”
He had chances to score even lower, but three straight birdies on the back nine at tame Pebble Beach, and a simple up-and-down for birdie on the par-5 18th enabled him to catch Furyk and reach 12-under 132.
Furyk also was pleased to see the flags drooping instead of flapping when he arrived at Poppy Hills, especially after seeing a forecast of 15 mph wind and heavy rain. The rain was brief and light, and he birdied all but one of the par 5s on his way to a 65.
“I think we got out of it pretty good today,” Furyk said. “Hoping for the same tomorrow.”
That gave the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am a good 1-2 punch at the top from the two highest-ranked players in the field.
Furyk (No. 2) and Mickelson (No. 6) had a three-shot lead over rookie John Mallinger and Kevin Sutherland, who turned in the best round of the dreary afternoon by firing off 10 birdies for a 63 at Spyglass Hill.
Sutherland thought briefly about the course record of 62 at Spyglass, just long enough to snap-hook his 3-wood into the trees and out of play on the par-5 seventh. He reloaded with a two-stroke penalty, reached the green in two, escaped with a bogey and didn’t let one bad hole take away from his round.
“Spyglass is one of my favorite courses in the world,” said Sutherland, who has played it countless times dating to his amateur days in Northern California. I’d rather play there than Pebble Beach. But a 63 was not the score I was thinking about when I teed off.”
The names atop the leaderboard were still enough to get his attention, especially since Mickelson is a two-time winner at Pebble Beach.
“I’m very much aware I need to make a lot more birdies,” Sutherland said with a smile.
Davis Love III made a quiet climb into contention with a 67 at Pebble Beach, but perhaps the biggest surprise came from the group behind Mickelson – 57-year-old Tom Watson, playing this tournament for the last time.
Watson asked to play with his son, Michael, and the old man showed he still has a few tricks. He birdied three of his first four holes, and showed that he wasn’t out for a few laughs after slapping his thigh in disgust when he missed birdie putts inside 8 feet on the sixth and seventh holes.
He also made birdie on the par-3 17th, but not with a chip from behind the green, as he did in 1982 when he won the U.S. Open. The flag was on the other side of the green, and Watson had to make a 15-foot birdie putt.
It led to a 68, leaving him six shots behind at 6-under 138.
“He’s playing great,” Mickelson said. “I saw him birdie 17, which was nice.”
Champions Tour
Craig Stadler eagled the par-5 18th hole for a 9-under 63 and a one-stroke lead in the Allianz Championships at Boca Raton Fla., while Nick Price shot a 71 in his first Champions Tour round.
The 53-year-old Stadler, winless the last two seasons after topping the leaderboard eight times in his first two years on the 50-and-over tour, had a bogey-free round on The Old Course at Broken Sound.
Mark James, the 53-year-old English player making his first start of the year, was second after a bogey-free 64. Andy Bean opened with a 66, and Tom Kite, Morris Hatalsky, John Harris and Bobby Wadkins shot 67s.
Jay Haas and Loren Roberts were in a group at 68.
Woods won’t play in Nissan Open
Tiger Woods just said no to the Nissan Open in Los Angeles, deciding against playing the PGA Tour event he has entered the most times in his pro career without winning.
Woods did not commit to the 144-player entry list by the afternoon deadline – although Phil Mickelson did – and will miss playing the tournament at Riviera Country Club for only the second time in his 11th full year as a professional.
“Michelle Wie injured her wrist in a fall while running this week and is wearing a hard cast that will keep her away from golf for at least a month.