SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Three-time champion Phil Mickelson got off to a ho-hum start with an opening-round, 3-under 68 at the Waste Management Phoenix Open on Thursday. It wasn’t great. It wasn’t terrible. “I didn’t probably play my best,â€� Mickelson said. “I didn’t really putt great and didn’t drive it great. But I shot 3 under and it’s an OK start.â€� Mickelson hit just 5/14 fairways, and 14/18 greens in regulation. Neither stat was all that unusual for him, but he made only 43 feet of putts on the greens and finished the day in negative numbers in Strokes Gained: Putting. That was an aberration in light of his recent play. Mickelson is coming off a T2 at the Desert Classic two weeks ago, when he flirted with a 59 but settled for a 60 in the first round. He is enjoying a mini-career revival, which he credits in part to increased swing speed after leading the field in driving distance (302.5 yards on all tee shots) in the desert. The gain has been surprising given that he’s the oldest player in many fields. MUST READS: Round 1, Waste Management Phoenix Open Rickie Fowler, Justin Thomas share house and lead at TPC Scottsdale Oklahoma State amateur Matthew Wolff impresses with unorthodox swing He also has enjoyed a resurgence in his short game. He was around the lead in Strokes Gained: Putting for much of last season, when he broke a nearly five-year win drought with his playoff victory over Justin Thomas at the World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship. He tried to focus on the positive Thursday, which was that he birdied 15 and 18 to end the day. “Tomorrow we’ll have a chance with an early morning tee time to hopefully get a hot round going,â€� he said. “I didn’t play as well as I wanted to, but I didn’t shoot myself out of it.â€� This marks his 30th start in the event, one of his two hometown tournaments. He first played here as an amateur sensation out of Arizona State in 1989, and has since won it three times (1996, 2005, 2013). “I just can’t believe that it’s been 30 years,â€� he said earlier this week. “It just has gone by so fast.â€�
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