Phil Mickelson starts strongly at The Open
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Could this finally be Phil Mickelson’s year at The Open?
Well, Lefty has certainly got off to a flying start after shooting an opening round 69 (-2) and continuing where he left off when winning the Scottish Open at Castle Stuart last weekend.
The three-times Masters winner doesn’t have the best of Open records but he shone brightly in the East Lothian sunshine and his impressive performance will strike fear and dread among many of his opponents.
“I played well,” Mickelson said. “I had a spurt there in the middle of the round where I had some technical difficulties and hit some poor shots but was able to make pars and then turned it around.
“I kind of keyed in on it after the par at 13, and from there on in I hit a couple of good shots and made a couple of birdies coming in.”
Lefty is clearly in the winning mood and on a Scottish high and would dearly relish getting his hands on the coveted Claret Jug for the first time. “I love the fact that I shot under par, because it’s a very challenging course out there. I don’t expect anybody to beat the lead from the morning wave, I just don’t think it’s possible.”
