Phil Mickelson’s attempt to forget his British Open past could make this a week for him to remember.
Mickelson shot 69 Friday to get into contention at Royal St. George’s. He’s at 1-under 139 through the Open Championship’s 36 holes. Mickelson has just one top-10 in 17 Open appearances; he’s finished in the top 25 just five times.
“I just wanted to start fresh because I’ve loved links golf,” Mickelson said about his mindset this week. “I just had to really enjoy the challenge more.”
His 139 here ties his second-best opening 36 holes at an Open. He finished 11th at the 2000 Open after opening with 72-66 at St. Andrews. His best Open finish — third at Troon in 2004 — came after he shot 73-66 for the first two rounds.
Mickelson has successfully employed a low, running tee shot — he’d never call it a “stinger,” for that name was trademarked by Tiger Woods — to navigate his way around Royal St. George’s. Mickelson said that shot was key to his success at the ’04 Open. He carries that low tee shot only about 200 yards with his driver.
“I get the ball on the ground quicker and I don’t have that big miss because it’s not in the air as long,” Mickelson said. “We don’t really have a need for that shot over in the States. It’s fun to learn how to hit those effectively.”
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