61: Phil Mickelson Goes Really Low In Champions Debut

Phil Mickelson didn’t waste any time letting the rest of the field at Ozarks National know that there was a new guy in town.

After his exit from the FedEx Cup playoffs, Mickelson showed up at Big Cedar Lodge to show off his skill set to the over-50 set and those skills were on full display Monday at the Schwab Series event.

All Mickelson did was birdie four of his first five holes and with a par five waiting for him at the ninth, it looked like an easy five-under was in front of him.  But he bogeyed that ninth hole.  The setback was temporary.  After another birdie at 11, he clicked off five straight then missed a 15-footer at the final hole for 60.  He “settled” for 10-under par 61 and it was good enough to give him the first round lead.

He called his day “a lot of fun.  “It’s a really fun environment and the environment is really cool for me to be a part of.  I was a little nervous.  I wanted to come out and play well.”

He played better than that.  He was paired with Steve Stricker and Retief Goosen.  “There’s no rough.  There’s fairway and junk which usually doesn’t bode well for me,” Mickelson said of Ozark National, a Crenshaw-Coore design.

Mickelson’s round left him only a shot in front of Aussie David McKenzie.  McKenzie got out early and posted 62 and it held up until Mickelson came in late in the afternoon.

When asked to compare the setup to a regular PGA Tour setup, Mickelson was quick to point out the difference.  “The pins weren’t easy but they were about what you’d see with a challenging setup when you play your home course.”

Schwab Series Scoreboard:

PGA Tour Moves CJ Cup To Las Vegas:

The 2020 CJ Cup has been moved from South Korea to Las Vegas.

The PGA Tour made that switch on Monday, moving the event from Jeju Island to Shadow Creek, the ultra-exclusive venue in Vegas.  It will be played October 15-18,  the week after the Shriners Hospitals for Children event at TPC Summerlin.