The Players Championship Opening Rounds
Through the first two rounds, Phil Mickelson had the recipe for success at THE PLAYERS Championship.
Mickelson held the overnight lead at THE PLAYERS Championship at 5-under par after an even par second round 72. Mickelson’s lead was challenged all day but he managed to retake the lead with an eagle.
207 yards to the pin and with a six iron, Mickelson hit his approach to the par-5 16th just beyond a swell on top of a greenside bunker and it released onto the green seven feet from the hole. He made that putt and regained his lead that he lost after early bogeys on 5, 7 and 9.
Normally the TPC at Sawgrass demands accuracy off the tee and a high percentage of greens hit. Mickelson has not done either very well. So far, he has hit 39% of his fairways and only 50 % of greens in regulation, numbers Players champions of old would scoff at. But, the newly redesigned Sawgrass is looking for a new kind of champion.
Pete Dye redesigned the course last summer and made major changes. Most obvious is the speed and firmness which the entire course plays, especially the greens. Now, shots only slightly offline will trickle into collection areas surrounding almost every green and will lead to tough up-and-downs. So, who is this new kind of champion?
Topping the list, they need to be a short game wizard and a solid putter.
Who does that remind you of? To most, that is Mickelson.
Mickelson stayed afloat on Friday by showing off his tremendous short game, which saved him several times, and also his putter. He leads the field in total putting, only going to it 50 times in two rounds. Most astonishing, he is a perfect 34 for 34 for putts within 10 feet.
By no means is Mickelson lonely at the top of the leaderboard. There are 25 players within five shots of him and one of them is not Tiger Woods.
Woods converted 12 consecutive pars on Thursday and followed those with three bogeys to end his round with a 75. It was the second hole, the 20th hole in his tournament, that netted Tiger his first birdie and it would be another 14 holes until he would get another. Over two days, Tiger has made only two birdies, is at 4-over par and sits nine strokes behind Mickelson.
But, as we have seen with Mickelson, if you have the right recipe you might just cook up some success.
