Phil Mickelson (AP)
Mickelson followed his opening 60 with a 65 on Friday in the Phoenix Open to reach 17-under 125, a stroke off the tour record for the first two rounds of a tournament set by Pat Perez in the 2009 Bob Hope Classic and matched by David Toms at Colonial in 2011.
“Unfortunately, I made a double on the last hole and didn’t finish the way I wanted to,” Mickelson said. “But I think it’s a good example of what can happen on this course. You can make a lot of birdies and eagles, make up a lot of ground, but there’s a lot of water and trouble there that if you misstep you can easily make bogeys and double.”
He still tied the Phoenix Open record set by Mark Calcavecchia in 2001, but history slipped through his hands for the second straight day on the last hole.
On Thursday, Mickelson had a 25-foot birdie putt for a 59 on No. 9 that caught the right edge, curled 180 degrees and stayed out. A day later with little at stake on the par-4 hole, he hit to 4 feet and rolled the downhill putt into the center of the cup.
“You always remember kind of the last hole, the last putt,” Mickelson said. “But I think it’s very possible that’s going to help me because it’s got me refocused, that I cannot ease up on a single shot. I’ve got to be really focused. These guys are going to make a lot of birdies and I’ve got to get after it and cannot make those kinds of mistakes.”
Mickelson parred the first six holes, and played the next 11 in 8 under before making a mess of the par-4 18th. His drive bounced into the left-side water hazard and, after a penalty drop, he hit an approach that landed on the green and rolled off the front edge. His chip ran 7 feet past and his bogey putt slid by to the left.
“I hit a good shot, I thought,” Mickelson said. “I tried to start it right down the middle and hold it into the wind. It just leaked a little bit left. I still thought it was up. ... Then I hit a poor wedge from there. But the tee shot I didn’t think was going to be in the water at any point.”
The double bogey left him four strokes ahead of Bill Haas and five in front of Keegan Bradley and Brandt Snedeker. Haas shot 64, Bradley 63, and Snedeker 66.
Mickelson will play alongside Haas and Bradley in the third round.
“Bill and I have played on a Presidents Cup team, and Keegan and I have been partners in the Ryder Cup and had an incredibly emotional and fun experience together as partners,” Mickelson said. “We’re going to have a fun day tomorrow.”
Mickelson was cruising before the lapse on 18.
The 42-year-old former Arizona State star, who won at TPC Scottsdale in 1996 and 2005, overpowered the par-5 15th for an eagle, hitting to 4 feet after a 358-yard drive.
“I felt really comfortable on the tee box, so I kind of let one go and caught a hold of it and ended up having 191 to the pin,” Mickelson said. “It was only 186 to the front, and I hit a hard 8-iron. There was a little bit of helping wind.”
After a par on the par-3 16th that drew boos from the rowdy fans on the stadium hole when his tee shot trickled into the fringe, he drove the green on the 344-yard 17th and two-putted from 70 feet — leaving his eagle try a foot short — for birdie.
Bradley also eagled the 15th, hitting a 350-yard drive and a 7-iron approach to 8 feet.
“I just smashed a driver down there,” Bradley said. “I had been hitting 3-wood and I’m driving the ball so well that I just decided to rip driver down there.”
He birdied the 16th, hitting to 5 feet.
“It reminds me of when I go to Fenway Park,” Bradley said. “There’s always like a murmur. ... It’s really cool. I dig it. I wish there was more holes like that out here.”
He birdied Nos. 5-8 on his back nine, holing putts of 10 15, 20 and 8 feet.
“It was such a relief to shoot a good number,” Bradley said. “I’ve been playing so well this whole year and haven’t made many putts. Today, the putts started to go in.”
Haas also began play on No. 10 and made the turn at 6-under 30.
“We all know the way the course is playing, if there’s no wind on the weekend, you’ve just got to keep making birdies,” Haas said.
Last year in the Northern Trust Open at Riviera, Haas beat Mickelson and Bradley with a 45-foot birdie putt on the second hole of a playoff.
“It’s just another day. It’s moving day,” Haas said. “Hopefully, I can move up the leaderboard and he (Mickelson) doesn’t go too crazy.”
DIVOTS: Jason Dufner, paired with Mickelson and Rickie Fowler, missed the cut by a stroke, ending the tour’s longest active streak at 22. Dufner shot 68-71, leaving Ian Poulter with the longest current streak at 16. Fowler also shot 68-71 to drop out. ... Mike Weir failed to advance a week after ending a streak of 17 missed cuts that dated to July 2001. He shot 69-73. ... Golf Channel will have “spotlight” coverage” of the 15th, 16th and 17th holes Saturday and Sunday, opposite the first two hours of NBC’s regular broadcast. The sister networks will stagger commercial breaks. ... Masters champion Bubba Watson was 8 under after his second straight 67. He played through strep throat to tie for fourth in the season-opening Tournament of Champions and withdrew last week in San Diego because of the flu. ... Defending champion Kyle Stanley made the cut by a stroke at 4 under.
LEADERBOARD
Phil Mickelson;60-65;—;125
Bill Haas;65-64;—;129
Keegan Bradley;67-63;—;130
Brandt Snedeker;64-66;—;130
Angel Cabrera;66-65;—;131
Charlie Wi;68-63;—;131
Brian Gay;65-66;—;131
Robert Garrigus;66-66;—;132
Ryan Moore;66-66;—;132
John Rollins;66-66;—;132
Matt Every;65-67;—;132
David Hearn;67-65;—;132
Troy Matteson;67-65;—;132
Kevin Na;69-64;—;133
Roberto Castro;65-68;—;133
Brendon de Jonge;66-67;—;133
Gary Woodland;67-66;—;133
Ted Potter, Jr.;64-69;—;133
William McGirt;67-66;—;133
Jeff Maggert;64-70;—;134
Rory Sabbatini;68-66;—;134
Bubba Watson;67-67;—;134
Brendan Steele;69-65;—;134
John Mallinger;65-69;—;134
Casey Wittenberg;67-67;—;134
Harris English;67-67;—;134
Kevin Chappell;66-68;—;134
Hunter Mahan;67-67;—;134
Padraig Harrington;64-70;—;134
Bryce Molder;67-67;—;134
Charles Howell III;67-68;—;135
Bo Van Pelt;68-67;—;135
Boo Weekley;69-66;—;135
Brian Harman;70-65;—;135
Ken Duke;66-69;—;135
Jeff Overton;66-69;—;135
Jeff Klauk;67-68;—;135
Hank Kuehne;65-71;—;136
Martin Flores;65-71;—;136
Aaron Baddeley;69-67;—;136
David Toms;69-67;—;136
Russell Henley;69-67;—;136
Nick Watney;65-71;—;136
Richard H. Lee;68-68;—;136
Cameron Tringale;69-67;—;136
Sang-Moon Bae;72-64;—;136
Kevin Stadler;68-68;—;136
Greg Chalmers;68-68;—;136
Scott Piercy;70-66;—;136
Chris Kirk;67-69;—;136
Justin Leonard;65-71;—;136
Colt Knost;71-65;—;136
Carl Pettersson;72-65;—;137
Chris Stroud;71-66;—;137
David Mathis;72-65;—;137
Billy Horschel;69-68;—;137
Ryan Palmer;64-73;—;137
Jimmy Walker;68-69;—;137
Tim Clark;69-68;—;137
Jason Day;70-68;—;138
Bud Cauley;71-67;—;138
Lucas Glover;68-70;—;138
Kyle Stanley;67-71;—;138
Scott Verplank;66-72;—;138
George McNeill;70-68;—;138
John Merrick;69-69;—;138
Chad Campbell;73-65;—;138
Dicky Pride;67-71;—;138
James Hahn;71-67;—;138
J.J. Henry;70-68;—;138
K.J. Choi;71-67;—;138
Ben Crane;67-71;—;138
Y.E. Yang;65-73;—;138
James Driscoll;72-66;—;138;
Failed to qualify
Will Claxton;68-71;—;139
Shawn Stefani;69-70;—;139
David Lynn;73-66;—;139
Jonas Blixt;67-72;—;139
Tim Herron;68-71;—;139
J.B. Holmes;71-68;—;139
Jason Dufner;68-71;—;139
Rickie Fowler;68-71;—;139
Brad Fritsch;72-67;—;139
Jhonattan Vegas;72-68;—;140
Jason Bohn;69-71;—;140
Troy Kelly;72-68;—;140
Nicolas Colsaerts;65-75;—;140
Stewart Cink;71-69;—;140
Fredrik Jacobson;69-71;—;140
Charley Hoffman;71-69;—;140
Luke Guthrie;72-68;—;140
Jason Kokrak;72-69;—;141
D.A. Points;67-74;—;141
Scott Stallings;70-71;—;141
Martin Laird;71-70;—;141
Trevor Immelman;70-71;—;141
Steve LeBrun;72-69;—;141
Alistair Presnell;69-72;—;141
Michael Thompson;69-72;—;141
John Huh;72-69;—;141
Marc Leishman;70-71;—;141
Mark Wilson;71-70;—;141
Stephen Ames;72-69;—;141
Daniel Summerhays;70-71;—;141
John Hurley;72-69;—;141
Ross Fisher;74-67;—;141
Kevin Streelman;70-72;—;142
Josh Teater;71-71;—;142
Sean O'Hair;73-69;—;142
Johnson Wagner;72-70;—;142
Martin Kaymer;73-69;—;142
Joe Ogilvie;68-74;—;142
Andres Romero;73-69;—;142
Wes Short, Jr.;70-72;—;142
Mike Weir;69-73;—;142
Greg Owen;70-72;—;142
Joey Snyder III;72-70;—;142
Glen Griffith;72-71;—;143
Jesper Parnevik;70-73;—;143
Charlie Beljan;72-72;—;144
Ryo Ishikawa;72-73;—;145
Graham DeLaet;72-73;—;145
Tommy Gainey;70-75;—;145
Edward Loar;73-72;—;145
Kevin Sutherland;73-73;—;146
Luke List;76-70;—;146
Geoff Ogilvy;74-72;—;146
D.H. Lee;71-75;—;146
Ricky Barnes;74-73;—;147
Kris Blanks;74-75;—;149
Davis Love III;72;—;WD
Pat Perez;72;—;DQ
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