Notebook: Even-par opener is just fine with Mickelson
Playing Winged Foot so often during his U.S. Open preparation led to a solid start for Phil Mickelson. Plus, David Toms endured some uncharacteristic difficulties, 74 proved to be the target score for European Ryder Cuppers, and more.
By T.J. Auclair, Junior Editor
MAMARONECK, N.Y. -- With his new approach to preparing for major championships, which includes visiting the major venue several times before the tournament, Phil Mickelson is enjoying some great success.
Here at Winged Foot, Lefty is hoping to win his first U.S. Open and third major championship in succession.
Despite playing much of his round from the brutal rough -- and missing a couple of short putts -- Mickelson managed to produce a solid even-par 70 Thursday and is one shot off Colin Montgomerie's mark of 1-under. Played at Winged Foot approximately 10 times leading up to the Open, Mickelson said, definitely helped.
"I didn't hit very many greens today," Mickelson said. "I think I hit only eight, I was told. The greens are going to be very tough to hit here. The ball was having a hard time getting stopped on these greens. I was fortunate in that I had some good preparation, I was able to put the ball on the correct sides of the greens to have pretty easy up and downs.
"I didn't have to make too many long putts, they were pretty easy chips, so I was very pleased. It looks on paper like it was a lot harder round than I think it felt," he added. "The golf course is still very challenging, but if you put it in the right spot you can make some birdies and make some pars."
Mickelson's round was rather ho-hum, with two birdies to go along with two bogeys. But he wasn't happy with a three-putt par at the 515-yard, par-5 fifth hole.
"I wouldn't say I was upset, but I wasn't pleased with making 5," he said. "I hit a perfect drive off the tee, hit a good 7-iron about 50 feet behind the pin where I wanted to be and didn't hit a good first putt. I knew it wasn't that fast and didn't trust it to hit the ball down there.
"Downhill putts, you don't want to give it too much energy. I left it about eight, 10 feet short and missed it. But that stuff is going to happen on these greens. They're very tough to read. Once you get to the green, your work is not done. You've got a lot of work left to two-putt."
A FITTING START: Major championships always have enormous crowds. However, it's not likely that you'll see many people gathered around the first tee box starting a good 30 minutes before the first tee time -- 7:00 a.m. -- of the first round.
Thursday was the exception to the rule as the first tee at Winged Foot Golf Club was surrounded by a hometown crowd, cheering on Open qualifier and club member Andy Svoboda, who also has won the Winged Foot club championship on several occasions.
Under a blanket of gray clouds laced with promising splashes of blue and a light wind, Svoboda, a 26-year-old who has been playing this course regularly since age 10, fittingly got the national championship under way by striking the first tee shot with a nervous driver that sailed well right into the rough. He wound up making bogey on the hole and finished in 5-over-par 75.
"It felt good, you know," Svoboda said, about playing before the home crowd. "I was just trying to hit good golf shots down the middle of the fairway. It was something when they announced my name such a loud cheer and everything that definitely got my heart going."
TROUBLES FOR TOMS: David Toms, the 2001 PGA Champion, didn't get off to the ideal start at Winged Foot Thursday. In fact, it was downright ugly. Toms was a head-scratching 5-over-par through just three holes in a stretch that included double-bogeys on the first two holes.
With two more bogeys on the front nine, Toms made the turn at 7-over-par 42.
He nearly had a hole-in-one at the 216-yard, par-3 13th hole. His tee shot bounced on the green, rolled hot up to the hole, slammed the back of the cup and released a few feet past. He knocked the putt in for birdie to get to 6-over at the time. With three bogeys down the stretch, he ended up with a 9-over 79.
LITTLE MAN ON BIG STAGE: Amateur Tadd Fujikawa of Honolulu became the youngest player in U.S. Open history when he teed off at 9:12 a.m. Thursday. Born in Honolulu on Jan. 8, 1991, Fujikawa is 15 years, 6 months and 7 days old.
According to a press release issued by the USGA: "USGA records had previously identified Tyrell Garth, Jr., as the youngest player in championship history. It was believed that he was 14 years old when he competed in the 1941 U.S. Open at Colonial Country Club. However, it was recently confirmed that Garth was born on June 9, 1925, and that he was 15 years, 11 months and 27 days when the 1941 championship commenced on June 5."
So how did the little guy, who only stands 5-foot-1 and weighs 135 pounds, make out?
Not bad, actually. He shot a respectable 11-over 81 at incredibly demanding Winged Foot. He had three double-bogeys on the day at Nos. 1, 6 and 15, all par 4s.
"It's one of the most prestigious golf tournaments," Fujikawa said. "It was a lot of fun today, actually. The course is really tough out there. ... Today I played really well and I have hit a lot of great shots. I think I missed a couple of drives that cost me a couple of double-bogeys, and, you know, my score didn't really tell you how my day went."
A COMMON THEME: European Ryder Cuppers Ian Poulter, Paul McGinley, Luke Donald and Padraig Harrington all shot 4-over 74 in the first round. And three of them weren't pleased.
"I'm not happy, really," Poulter said. "I made a double-bogey [on No. 15] after hitting a straight tee shot 30 yards right. Then I hit what I that was not a bad second shot and then hit a poor chip and the ball ran off the green. Chipped on, missed the putt and it was a double-bogey. ...
I think the course is fair, very fair."
McGinley found the source of his problems to be the short stick.
"I have really been struggling on the greens," he said. "These are as tricky greens as I've ever seen. A lot of slope, a lot of speed and bumpy. Everyone will find it tough and you won't find anyone putting lights-out this week. I am not scoring well, not competing well and not getting the job done. I am not competitive. It is like I am starting the season again."
Donald's problem, along with putting woes, was having to play too many shots from the back-breaking rough.
"I didn't play well at all," he said. "Through about 14 holes I had hit three greens, I think. You are not going to score well around this course playing like that. I hit about eight fairways, which was OK, but not great. I didn't hit enough greens and missed three putts from under five feet. I putted off the green on 18. There is a lot of work to be done."
Harrington said he played well in the middle of the round after a poor start, but admitted that's to be expected in a U.S. Open.
"I could have been a couple better," he said. "You are going to miss the odd shot, but one or two were a little unlucky and one or two were poor concentration on my behalf."
Copyright 2006 PGA.com. All rights reserved.