Phil Mickelson brushed aside concerns over a wrist injury that has hampered his game recently as he swept into a share of the early lead at the £3-million Scottish Open on Thursday.
The American world number three followed a spectacular eagle on his fourth hole with another five birdies to post a six-under-par 65 and grab a share of the clubhouse lead with playing partner Graeme Storm, the Englishman who claimed his first European tour title at the French Open earlier this month.
It was a performance that vindicated Mickelson’s claim that the injury would not affect his chances of challenging here and at next week’s British Open at Carnoustie.
Although he continues to feel pain in his left wrist after certain shots, he revealed after his round that a recent assessment of the injury by a leading specialist had left him confident that he could not aggravate the problem.
”It might hurt, but it is not going to make it worse, so I’m not afraid going for those shots,” Mickelson said.
Mickelson suffered the injury in practice ahead of last month’s United States Open and subsequently missed the cut at Oakmont. It was the first time since the last British Open to be held at Carnoustie, in 1999, that the left-hander had failed to play the full four days at a major.
Mickelson has only once got close to winning the British Open — at Troon in 2004, when he finished a stroke behind winner Todd Hamilton who defeated Ernie Els in a play-off.
But despite that record of under-achievement, he intends to stick to his pre-Open routine of playing on Loch Lomond’s lush layout rather than opting for more intensive preparation on a fast-running links course.
”It is a personal thing for each individual, but for me it seems to be better to play the week before and get competitive. Even without any wind, there are a lot of shots here where you are trying to keep the ball below the treeline, so although the ground is different, a lot of the shots are similar to ones you would play at Carnoustie.”
The highlight of Thursday’s round came at the 560-yard 13th, Mickelson’s fourth hole. Furious at having just dropped a shot, the left-hander nailed a huge drive and then cut a wonderful three wood to within 15 feet of the pin for an eagle three. ”That got my round started,” he said.
Mickelson was among dozens of big names who were undone by the fearsome rough the last time the Open was held at Carnoustie, missing the cut after opening rounds of 79 and 76.
But the tournament organisers have ensured a less punishing set-up for the course on Scotland’s east coast this year and the American liked what he saw on a three-day reconnaissance mission before heading cross country to Loch Lomond.
”I though it was a wonderful golf course,” he said. ”My recollection from 1999 is not very high, but I came back and really enjoyed it.”
Crucially for Mickelson, he believes Carnoustie has been set up in a way that will allow him to make his unrivalled scrambling ability count.
”I love the areas around the green at Carnoustie and it gives me a chance with my short game,” he said. The American also appears confident about reaping a dividend from the work he did with coach Butch Harmon on developing a lower trajectory off the tee to limit the effects of wind on his drives.
”I’ve been working a lot on little, low shots and I feel very confident that I will be able to keep a lot of drives in play, which is an area I’ve struggled with over here.”
Ernie Els, a winner here in 2000 and 2003 but still looking for his first win this year, got off to a frustrating start, bunkering his approach to his first hole, the 10th, and immediately dropping a shot.
That was to set the tone for an up-and-down kind of day with the big South African finally signing for a two-under 69 in which six birdies were offset by four bogeys. — Sapa-AFP