Phil Mickelson Rebounds From Rocky Start to Salvage First Round

Phil Mickelson Rebounds From Rocky Start to Salvage First Round
Lefty Optimistic About Building on Strong Back Nine, Hopes to Go Low Friday











Mark McLaughlin April 12, 2013 11:12 AM




COMMENTARY | Give Phil Mickelson credit, he knows what to expect from his game.


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On the eve of the Masters, Lefty said he was worried about the rust of not playing in a tournament the week before as has been his custom. He usually plays in Atlanta or Houston ahead of Augusta but a calendar quirk had the Valero Texas Open as the run-up tournament, a course setup that Mickelson says wouldn't have prepared him well for the year's first major.

Sure enough, Mickelson got off to a poor start in Thursday's first round. A three-putt bogey on the short, par-4 third was the first of three front-nine bogeys that caused him to make the turn in an ugly 2-over-par 38.

All it took for the Mickelson roller coaster to get back on track was a laser wedge shot to four feet on the par-3 12th hole for birdie. He went on to birdie both par-5s (13 and 15) and added a bonus birdie after a pretty 9-iron approach to the par-3 16th hole.

In a little over an hour, Mickelson jumped from 2-over to 2-under and smack in the middle of the contention for his fourth green jacket.

But never one to grind conservatively to the finish, he went on to bogey 17 then lipped out for birdie on the final hole to finish with a 1-under-par 71.



He's tied for 23rd on a day that saw nine players shoot 68 or better. Mickelson described Thursday's playing conditions as a "birdiefest" to ESPN and added that Augusta National was set up too soft and forgiving.

Phil's opening round may also have been a bit soft, but it couldn't have been much worse. He hit more greens than anyone in the field (15 of 18) but struggled once he got there, taking an atrocious 34 putts. Only four players took more putts Thursday.

"I feel like I'm rolling every one on line. I feel really good with the putter," Mickelson said afterward.

That confidence leads me to believe that if he can get the flat stick straightened out overnight - anyone know if putting guru Dave Stockton is around for quick lesson? - Mickelson will be right in the mix for the weekend.

"I can't wait to get back on the course tomorrow," Mickelson said. "I think I can really light it up."



To do so, Lefty must improve on Augusta's par-4s. He was fine on most of the brutes, parring holes 1, 10, and 11, but bogeyed the 350-yard third then failed to get up and down on the 455-yard fifth, the 450-yard seventh, and the 440-yard 17th.

Dustin Johnson Finally a Factor

With his length and talent, it's a wonder it took Dustin Johnson this long to post a good score at the Masters.

On the strength of the only eagle of the day on the par-5 13th hole, DJ fired an opening round 5-under-par 67, his best score in 13 rounds at Augusta National, to sit solo third. Johnson bested playing partner Fred Couples by a shot as Freddy's Masters mojo rubbed off on the game's best 20-something this side of Rory McIlroy.

Johnson's rare combination of power and touch will come in handy if he's in contention over the weekend. He led the field in driving distance Thursday with an average blow of 317 yards and needed only 24 putts around Augusta's softened greens.

Mark McLaughlin has reported on the PGA Tour for the New York Post, FoxSports.com, Greensboro News & Record, and Burlington (N.C.) Times-News. He is a past member of the Metropolitan Golf Writers Association. Follow him on Twitter@markmacduke.

Top Five Winners From the Opening Round at the Masters

Top Five Winners From the Opening Round at the Masters











Travis Mewhirter April 12, 2013 11:24 AM


COMMENTARY | The Masters is here, and everybody is really a winner over the next four days.


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The players win by simply getting another chance to play Heaven on Earth or, as it is formally known, Augusta National. Everybody else wins because it's the Masters, golf's unofficial opening day, the first truly meaningful tournament of the year.



But, while the Masters will be a sublime experience for all, I will narrow down Thursday's opening round to the five biggest winners of the day.



1. Tianlang Guan



What were you doing when you were 14 years old? Maybe you were in eighth grade, like our youngest competitor in Masters history, Tianlang Guan, is. Maybe you were at the top of your middle school's food chain. It was probably a phenomenal year. Maybe you were in high school, a hot-shot freshman who made a varsity team. You probably felt pretty slick at the time.



That's great and all, but here's what you did not do when you were 14 years old: You did not play Augusta National. You did not play in the Masters. You did not receive a personal invitation from Tiger Woods to play in a practice round. You did not finish your first ever major championship round at 1-over-par, one-upping a U.S. Open champ (Lucas Glover) and Open Championship winner (Louis Oosthuizen) while taking a two-shot lead on the most recent player to don a green jacket (Bubba Watson).



Even if the kid shot in triple-digits, he still would have been the day's winner. Because he's 14. And he's playing in the Masters.



2. Marc Leishman



This one shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. His opening-round 66 has him at the top of the leaderboard tied with Sergio Garcia and four up on the No. 1 player in the world, Tiger Woods. Every major championship seems to have its dark horse these days. Leishman, if he holds up throughout day two, appears to be the most recent addition to our ever-expanding list.



His best finish at the Masters is a missed cut in 2010 in which he shot 79 to follow up an even-par opening round, so a strong showing Friday would be a 180-degree turnaround from his previous appearance. Along with seeking his first major championship, Leishman could also become the first Australian to win the Masters. Imagine that: Marc Leishman, not Adam Scott or Jason Day, as our first Australian-born Masters winner. Something to think about as this one plays out.



3. Tiger Woods



Why not Garcia, Dustin Johnson or Rickie Fowler in this spot? Because this is where Tiger wants to be. He has posted a 2-under 70 opening round four times and gone on to win three of those (his other win came off a 74 in 2005 when he went on to beat Chris DiMarco). Sure, his opener was a little disappointing, considering the torrid rate he has been playing lately, but four shots back after the first day is quintessential Tiger territory.



4. Sergio Garcia



It's always with a little hesitation that I put Garcia at the top of many lists, no matter how well he plays in a four-hour span, simply because, by tour standards, the guy can't putt. There aren't many out there who can strike a golf ball like he does, as shown by his bogey-free 66, and he managed 18 holes without a single yip. If he can put together four straight rounds without fighting his putter, he could very well end his 14 years of major disappointment. But it's still day one. More proof will be needed on the greens to see if Garcia can hang around until Sunday evening.



5. Rickie Fowler



This one was a tossup between Fowler, Johnson, Leishman's dark-horse pal David Lynn, and Fred Couples. Why Fowler? He's been one of the tour's brightest young stars out of this new generation that has stormed the World Golf Ranking over the past two years.



But our 2010 Rookie of the Year -- an award he beat out Rory McIlroy for -- is still waiting for that breakthrough moment that some of his peers have been able to enjoy. McIlroy is the clear frontrunner of the up-and-coming generation, what with his decimation of Congressional to win the 2011 U.S. Open and his comfortable 8-shot triumph at last year's PGA Championship.



A green jacket could very well be the impetus Fowler needs to put his career in the same zip code as McIlroy's.





Travis Mewhirter has been working in the golf industry since 2007, when he was a bag room manager at Piney Branch Golf Club in Carroll County, Maryland, and has been involved, as a player, since 2004. Since then, he has worked at Hayfields Country Club, where the Constellation Energy Classic was formerly held, and has covered golf at the high school, college, and professional levels.

McIlroy's mistakes negate overall good play

McIlroy's mistakes negate overall good play











PGA.COM April 12, 2013 1:38 PM

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Rory McIlroy wasn't too pleased with his 72 on a day when 32 players broke par.(Getty Images)


By Tim Dahlberg, Associated Press


AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The 18-footer for birdie on the final hole slid by on the left, another chance lost on a day filled with missed opportunities. Rory McIlroy walked off the green and gave his putter a gentle spank, as if to punish it for letting him down when he needed it most.

His even-par 72 wasn't awful by any means and might have been a score he would have settled for in another Masters. But on a day when 32 players broke par, the No. 2 player in the world wasn't exactly pleased.

He got a kiss and hug from girlfriend Caroline Wozniackiafter signing his scorecard, but any overtime work on the putting green would have to wait. It was getting dark and, just as McIlroy was beginning to talk about what went wrong, the weather sirens sounded and he was hustled inside the Augusta National clubhouse.

All year long the worry about McIlroy was the way he was hitting the ball with his new Nike clubs. But in the opening round of the Masters, it was the putter that let him down.

"I felt like I played well," McIlroy said. "Just silly mistakes and a couple of 3-putts on the back nine."

A day that started with promise for McIlroy -- he was 2-under after making birdie on No. 6 -- turned bad on the final nine as he made four bogeys coming in. McIlroy played like he was rusty, the very thing he played two weeks in a row coming into the Masters to avoid.

He was six shots back of co-leaders Sergio Garcia and Marc Leishman, a margin that's certainly not insurmountable with three rounds left on Augusta National. But McIlroy will have to find a way to make the short putts he missed if he wants to be in contention going into Sunday.

The Northern Irishman came to the first major of 2013, hoping to jumpstart a year that so far has been a disappointment. He played well to get in contention at the Texas Open last week, finishing second with a final round 66, and expected to be in contention here.

But bad strokes on greens putting slower than usual made for one frustrating days.

"I'm hitting the ball well," he said. "It's just a matter of taking advantage of the opportunities and eliminating mistakes.

McIlroy looked to have gotten the worst of the draw with a pairing in the penultimate group as thunderstorms threatened. But the wind didn't gust as much as expected and the rain held off until just after McIlroy came out of the clubhouse after signing his card.

McIlroy started the day like he couldn't wait to get in contention. He barely missed holing a 50-yard pitch for eagle on the second hole and came close to making a second straight birdie on No. 3.

But after holing a putt for birdie on No. 6 he gave it right back with a poor second shot on the next hole, the first of a series of miscues that he was never able to recover from.

McIlroy conceded earlier in the week that the adjustment to his new clubs -- which came as part of a huge endorsement deal with Nike -- had taken some time. But he said his driving had improved greatly and he was gaining confidence with every round he played.

But McIlroy's problem in the first round came from his flat stick, not his driver. He hit 9 of 14 fairways but had 32 putts, including the two 3-putts.

If there was a positive for McIlroy it is that he seems to be beginning to feel very much at home on Augusta National, where he famously imploded in 2011 after taking a four-shot lead into the final round. A year ago, he was one off the lead going into the weekend, only to close with 77-76 and tie for 40th.

"Everything felt good but every time I did something good I gave it back," McIlroy said. "And around this course you can't do that."