LA QUINTA, Calif. – Phil Mickelson did something he had never done in 2,200 previous rounds on the PGA Tour. He made 18 consecutive pars in the second round of the American Express.
Eighteen pars for golf’s wild thing? Think about how many U.S. Opens he would’ve won if he’d ever done that in a USGA event. But golf in a dome as defending champion Andrew Landry describes it, isn’t about making pars; it’s supposed to be a birdie-fest.
When informed that he’d achieved a first for him, Mickelson responded as only Mickelson can: “Which is surprising,” he said, “because I really try to hit fairways and center of the greens and just make easy pars and for that to be the first time it’s really shocking.”
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Mickelson, a two-time champion of the American Express and tournament host, opened with a 2-over 74 on Thursday at the easier Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West, to put himself in a position where he was going to need to make birdies in bunches to make the 36-hole cut, which fell at 4-under 140. Mickelson, who missed the cut for the fifth time in 18 starts in this event, didn’t manage to make a single circle on his card in signing for an even-par 72. He canned a 15-foot par putt at No. 13 to keep the streak intact. He had recorded 17 pars in a round on five previous occasions.
“If you look at the scorecard, it’s pathetic,” he said. “I’m not denying that.”
2,201st round on TOUR.
This is the first time @PhilMickelson has ever made 18 pars. pic.twitter.com/ccr4MRC5ko
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) January 22, 2021
Mickelson became the first player to card 18 pars in a round at PGA West (Stadium) since 2016, but he’s among the best at turning a negative into a positive and he emphasized the good in an otherwise disappointing effort to kickstart his 2020-21 season.
“Looking at the scores, you’re going to say, ‘Gosh, you played 2 over par, pretty easy courses, pretty poor start,’ but I feel like there was a lot of good things to take from this week, even though the scorecard’s not going to show it,” he said. “I’m driving the ball well. I’m hitting a lot of good shots. My putting is, needs some work, but I have been putting good for a long period of time so I don’t feel as though it’s going to require a lot of effort. But I’ll go back and work on it and try to get ready for next week in San Diego.”
Mickelson is in the midst of a stretch of at least four and possibly five consecutive starts. As noted, he’ll head to his hometown event, the Farmers Insurance Open, before going to the Middle East to play the European Tour’s Saudi International. Mickelson will return stateside for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and said he could add the Genesis Invitational – as he did a year ago – where he is a former champion.
Today was the first time @PhilMickelson has made 18 pars in a @PGATOUR round. A look at his percentage of career rounds, by number of pars made – pic.twitter.com/T42xktPyQa
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) January 23, 2021
Mickelson was stuck in neutral all day on Friday. He hit 13-of-18 greens in regulation, but ranked 67th of 78 golfers that played the Stadium Course in proximity. Mickelson’s putter was more foe than friend; he took 30 putts. It added up to another weekend off, his third missed cut in six starts this season. With brother Tim back home awaiting the birth of his son, Mickelson had his swing instructor Andrew Getson on the bag. There will be plenty for them to work on before Mickelson tees it up next – unless you take him at his word.
“I think that it’s a little bit closer than it looks,” Mickelson said.
