Phil Mickelson eyes record Champions win at site of first PGA Tour win

Phil Mickelson manufactured history 30 many years in the past in Tucson, starting to be one particular of 7 amateurs to win a PGA Tour celebration considering the fact that 1940.

Lefty is again in Arizona this weekend and he has a likelihood to stand by yourself in the report book.

A winner in his initial two PGA Tour Champions starts off, Mickelson could turn into the initial player to gain his to start with three begins on a PGA Tour-sanctioned tour this weekend in the Cologuard Classic at Tucson National.

“I think it is likely to be a rough problem for me listed here mainly because the training course makes it possible for you to enjoy it a ton of various techniques,” Mickelson mentioned Thursday. “Although I’m going to engage in it fairly aggressively, I’m heading to bring in a lot of difficulty, much too. If I can variety of eradicate some of the big misses, I assume I’m heading to make a good deal of birdies.”

Mickelson experienced no difficulties at Tucson Nationwide and TPC Starr Go in 1991, overcoming a triple bogey in the closing spherical to gain the Northern Telecom Open as a 20-calendar year-old newbie. The former Arizona Point out participant is however the very last newbie to acquire a PGA Tour function.

Mickelson returns to the desert with a opportunity to make it 3 for 3 on the senior tour. He gained at Ozarks Countrywide in Missouri past August in his very first begin immediately after turning 50 and followed that up with a win at the Nation Club of Virginia in Oct.

Complete-area tee instances from the Cologuard Traditional

Must he earn in Tucson, the quest to make extra record could have to hold out a while. The five-time main winner continue to believes he can contend on the PGA Tour and his forthcoming agenda consists of The Players Championship, Honda Traditional, Masters and probably the Valero Texas Open.

Mickelson, who has 44 occupation PGA Tour wins, has made 4 cuts in 8 events this 2021 period.

“I have not genuinely seemed at Champions Tour schedule,” he mentioned. “I want to get started participating in on the normal tour with a little bit considerably less pressure. I have been genuinely challenging on myself when I make some problems and I’ve got to type of simplicity up and play a small bit far more totally free and a minimal bit lighter. If I can do that, I feel I can shoot some very good scores out there.”

Mickelson will have to set up some very low figures on Tucson National’s Catalina System with a deep industry established to tee it up starting off Friday.

Schwab Cup dollars chief Bernhard Langer is nevertheless going solid at 63 and is the defending champion after coming from four strokes back again to gain past calendar year.

4-time major champion Ernie Els is next in the details standings. Main champions Davis Appreciate III and Mike Weir also are in the discipline, as is former College of Arizona player Jim Furyk, who won his very first two senior starts off very last year.

“The men are nonetheless aggressive and they are continue to hungry, and that’s what we all delight in,” Furyk said. “We get pleasure from the levels of competition and probably I really don’t have to hit 320 yards anymore to do so. I’m having fun with it.”

They are all vying to get the distinctive Conquistador helmet awarded to the winner in Tucson. Mickelson 1st set the trophy on his head following successful as an beginner — he slash himself in the course of action — and did it 2 times additional right after consecutive wins in 1995-96.

“It seems to be great. I have bought a few of them that are wanting a fourth, they want a great even number,” he reported. “They want a foursome. They do not like to go out as three, they are usually wanting for a fourth, so that would be a awesome suit.”

So would undertaking something no other golfer has performed.