Who wears two gloves, a binder clip on his hat and doesn’t care about what people think when it comes to fashion on the golf course? If you guessed the leader for the Open Championship, Phil Mickelson, you’d be right.
Mickelson has played well so far this weekend posting a total of 10-under-par through his first two days at the Open. Like many other golfers, the former Arizona State Sun Devil hasn’t had any hardware to hoist over his head in three years since bringing home the Claret Jug at Muirfield in 2013. However, that could change with the way Mickelson is playing. Given Henrik Stenson, who posted a six under 65 yesterday to put him one off the lead, doesn’t post career numbers in the next two days, he should be able to shrug the monkey off his back and snap his three-year drought.
However, this Friday lead could just be a facade as it appears the golf gods are not in Mickelson’s favor. Mickelson came within centimeters of making history at Royal Troon during his first round. However, a lipped-out putt took him from a league of his own at 62 to a league of 25 others at 63.
Phil Mickelson came SO close to a low major score of 62 #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/n91YpkelLG
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 14, 2016
Even Mickelson’s caddie was overcome with emotion.
It was just too much for Phil’s caddie. #TheOpen pic.twitter.com/tmeO76iS1Y
— The Open (@TheOpen) July 14, 2016
Sinking that putt would have given Mickelson the lowest round in a major championship. Mickelson was a professional about it nonetheless and trekked on to day two. He would swap the flashy number for functionality and grind his way through poor playing conditions, posting a two-under-par 69 at Royal Troon.
Royal Troon has proved to be as arduous of a task as most thought after a relatively nice day on day one. Day two showcased a thorough downpour in the morning that left many scrambling for their umbrellas and a dry glove; as well as gusty winds interrupted by intermittent showers if you teed off after lunch. There was no way to beat the elements.
Golfers like Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy haven’t had much success over the past two days. Each sit at two-under for the past two days. They’ve played better than the likes of Jordan Spieth and Bubba Watson, on the bright side. They really had to grind to make the cut as they just squeaked in at four-over-par on the week.
Day three will feature 81 golfers with tee times starting at 3:25 a.m. Television coverage will start on the Golf Channel at 4 a.m. At 7 a.m., coverage will move to NBC until 2:30 p.m.
