Phil Mickelson turned back the clock Thursday at The Open, posting a solid 1-under 70 at Royal Portrush. It’s his first under-par round in this championship since Carnoustie in 2018.
The 55-year-old six-time major champion navigated his front nine without a single bogey, highlighted by a remarkable hole-out par save at the third. After finding a greenside bunker on the 167-yard par-3 and failing to escape with his first attempt, Mickelson holed his third shot to maintain momentum.
He took advantage of both par-5s on the outward nine, making birdies at the second and seventh holes to make the turn at 2-under 34, briefly sharing the early lead.
The back nine proved more challenging. Bogeys at 11 and 14 threatened to derail his round, but Mickelson responded with a 20-foot birdie at the par-4 17th to get back into red figures.
When he signed his card, Mickelson sat tied for 10th on the leaderboard. That’s a welcome change for the 2013 Open champion, who’s missed the cut in five of his last seven Open appearances since his memorable runner-up finish to Henrik Stenson in their epic duel at Royal Troon in 2016.
Mickelson’s lone Claret Jug came at Muirfield 12 years ago, when he produced one of the greatest final rounds in Open history to claim the championship.
