ST. ANDREWS, Scotland -- Phil Mickelson usually looks as comfortable at the Open Championship as a bloke at the beach, a severe sunburn waiting to happen. Left is right in Great Britain, but for whatever reason, Mickelson can't get it straight, golf or otherwise, over here.
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| Phil Mickelson's best finish in the Open is a tie for 24th. |
Until Friday.
The left-handed PGA Tour star shot his best score in 25 British Open rounds, a 6-under 66 at the Old Course that put him on the leaderboard, tied for sixth, at least within striking distance of Tiger Woods.
And for Mickelson, that is akin to acquiring a taste for haggis or learning to drive on the left side of the road.
The Open Championship has never been kind to Mickelson, who otherwise has a fine major championship resume, despite no victories.
He's played 27 majors as a pro and finished among the top-10 in 10. Throw out the British Open, where he's never finished better than 24th in six appearances, and he's been top-10 in nearly half the majors he's played in the United States.
But you can't throw out the British Open. This is a tournament that any truly great player should aspire to win. And at least Mickelson is trying.
"Yesterday and the first half of today, I felt pretty anxious, like I was forcing things a little bit," Mickelson said. "Like I was trying to hurry up and make birdies without getting results.
"But the back nine, for whatever reason, I just felt more comfortable over the putter and not trying to control the ball and get it in the hole because the greens tend to have a little bit of wiggle. There are a lot of short putts missed."
In other words, some patience is necessary. And with Mickelson's lack of success here, it would be easy to get antsy, try too hard, and develop that attitude that British golf is simply not for him.
Mickelson might have had that notion as he made the turn Friday, not getting much out of his round. He actually dropped to 1-over on the front side and was even par through 10 holes.
Then it started. He made a birdie at the par-3 11th. He holed a 60-foot putt for eagle at the 12th. He added three more birdies at the 13th, 14th and 15th. One more birdie coming in, and Mickelson would have been the first player to ever shoot 29 on the back side at the Old Course.
He'll take the 30, no complaints.
"Nothing was going well, but I was able to keep it around par and I was thinking if I could just get a couple coming in, first of all to make the cut, and then to be in position to shoot a good round tomorrow, where I could make up some ground on the leaders," he said. "That stretch right there put me right back in the tournament, and if I can get a good round tomorrow, I should be there for Sunday."
And that possibility exists for others as well. Each of the top-seven ranked players in the world are at least 3-under for the tournament. David Duval (4 under), Ernie Els (6 under), Colin Montgomerie (3 under), Lee Westwood (4 under), Davis Love III (4 under) and Mickelson are all among the top 25.
With three victories this year, Mickelson, 30, has run his PGA Tour total to 16 wins, which puts the dreaded title "Best Player Without a Major" squarely on his shoulders.
Nobody is more surprised than Mickelson that he has been unable to win one of golf's most prestigious tournaments. He is the winningest active player on the PGA Tour without a major.
And the task does not get any easier. Chasing Woods in a major championship is like ordering a cold beer in the United Kingdom. It's not out of the question, but few expect it.
After all, Woods has not made a bogey in two days, extending his major championship streak 62 holes back to the 10th hole of the third round at Pebble Beach. But Mickelson has knocked off Woods before, stopping his PGA Tour victory streak at six earlier this year.
And give him some credit for stepping up. He could write off the British Open, saying its not for him, like Scott Hoch has done. Lee Trevino always complained about Augusta National, which never served him well when trying to win The Masters.
Don't expect Mickelson to acquire a British accent, but at least he's now speaking the same language.
Bob Harig, who covers golf for the St. Petersburg Times, writes a column every Tuesday for ESPN Golf Online.
Phil Mickelson breaks down his second round.