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LA QUINTA, Calif. — For Phil Mickelson, the CareerBuilder Challenge has acted as the official start to the golf calendar for the five-time major winner for the last seven years. It’s an opportunity to knock off the competitive winter rust and see where the game stacks up. Despite opening with a 2-under 70 that left him eight shots adrift of leader Jon Rahm — who briefly flirted with 59 Watch at La Quinta Country Club — Mickelson remained pleased with the progress he made over the last week-and-a-half working with coach Andrew Getson. “I think you’re a little bit more nervous in seeing where your game is at,” Mickelson said, “but the last week-and-a-half where I’ve been getting ready and preparing has gone really well.” For Mickelson, this offseason was decidedly different from the previous year when he underwent two sports hernia surgeries that kept him from getting in the necessary practice time on the course and in the gym in preparation for the season. “Last year was a tough start for me,” Mickelson said. “I had a couple of setbacks in the offseason and wasn’t quite as ready as I wanted to be when the season started. And so I was playing without the strength speed and practice time I wanted to. But this year is totally different. I’ve been able to get a lot of good work in these last couple of weeks. My game feels good.” With a clean bill of health, the challenge for Mickelson during the offseason was trying to rectify a balky driver that’s plagued him for much of his career. Never one to shy away from tinkering, Mickelson switched to a Callaway Rogue Sub Zero that was four swingweight points lighter than his previous driver — a significant change for a player who has typically gone with a heavier overall weight in an attempt to find more fairways. Save for a tee shot that was blown out of bounds on the par-4 8th hole at La Quinta — he would still go on to make bogey — Mickelson looked comfortable and confident with the new club in the bag, routinely pulling it out on tight driving holes and finding the fairway. “[The new driver] was great with one exception, which was a little flinch,” Mickelson said. “Other than that, I drove it very well. I’m excited about the year driving the ball. I feel like I had a nice little breakthrough and I feel like the new technology is much more stable on that Rogue that allows me to miss it not as big. I’m very optimistic.” The only part of Mickelson’s game that wasn’t working on Thursday was his iron play. Normally one of his strengths, he hit just nine greens in regulation and found himself in trouble a number of times during the round, including on the last hole where made bogey from the center of the fairway. “The strength of my game — my iron play — was not as tight today,” Mickelson said. “I didn’t hit it as close as I needed to and didn’t make as many birdies as I should have.” In addition to the new driver, Thursday marked the first time in 24 years that Mickelson started a season with someone other than Jim “Bones” Mackay on the bag. The two mutually parted ways during the offseason, opening up the opportunity for brother Tim to take on the duties on a full-time basis. With a new caddie and driver in the bag, Mickelson appears ready for the challenges that lie ahead this season, and the opportunity to once again chase down the U.S. Open trophy that’s eluded him his entire career. For now, though, he’s concentrated on the challenge at hand: trying to get back into contention in the desert. “I feel like I’ve been playing really well, even though they haven’t been competitive rounds,” Mickelson said. “I’ll have to get a couple of hot rounds to get back into the tournament, but I enjoy the challenge of it.”
The Genesis Scottish Open makes its debut as a co-sanctioned event between the DP World Tour and PGA TOUR with a player field split between members of both Tours. The FedExCup’s top-ranked golfer Scottie Scheffler leads the way, while nine of the top-10 in the world are set to tee it up. FIELD NOTES: There will be 75 golfers from the PGA TOUR in the field, 75 from the DP World Tour, three from the KPGA, and three unrestricted sponsor exemptions… The 75 PGA TOUR players come from those who qualified for the 2021 TOUR Championship, sponsor exemptions, and the top available players from the FedExCup standings through the U.S. Open… Plenty of notables are teeing it up in Scotland including last season’s FedExCup winner Patrick Cantlay, recent winner Xander Schauffele, PGA Championship winner Justin Thomas, the current FedExCup leader Scottie Scheffler, and former world No.1 Jon Rahm… Matt Fitzpatrick, who lost in a playoff at the Scottish Open a year ago, will tee it up for the first time since his U.S. Open triumph… Min Woo Lee, who defeated Fitzpatrick and Thomas Detry in the three-way playoff in 2021, returns to defend… Nine of the top-10 ranked golfers in the world are set to play in Scotland… Rickie Fowler, who won this event in 2015, is one of the Sponsor Exemptions… Bob MacIntyre is the highest-ranked Scotsman who is teeing it up. He’s looking to become the first local to win the Scottish Open since Colin Montgomerie in 1999. FEDEXCUP: Winner receives 500 FedExCup points. COURSE: The Renaissance Club, par 71, 7,293 yards (yardage subject to change). Opened in 2007 in North Berwick, The Renaissance Club has already hosted lots of championship golf. This year will mark the fourth edition of the Scottish Open to be contested at the Tom Doak design. The course is located between North Berwick and Muirfield, both iconic Open Championship layouts. The course has a reputation as a tough driving layout. The average winning score has been 17 under. Each of the three previous editions of the Genesis Scottish Open contested at The Renaissance Club have gone into playoffs. STORYLINES: By field strength, the 2022 Genesis Scottish Open is set to be the strongest in DP World Tour history… Three spots are available for golfers not already qualified to earn their way into The Open Championship… This marks the first year that the Genesis Scottish Open is co-sanctioned between the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour. It’s one of three events with such a distinction. The Barbasol Championship, played opposite to the Scottish Open this week in Kentucky is one, while the Barracuda Championship (next week opposite The Open Championship), is the other. The three co-sanctioned events are just one example of the strengthened strategic alliance between the PGA TOUR and DP World Tour. 72-HOLE RECORD: 262, Bernd Wiesberger (2019) 18-HOLE RECORD: 61, Bernd Wiesberger (2nd round, 2019) LAST TIME: Min Woo Lee defeated Matt Fitzpatrick and Thomas Detry in a playoff with a birdie on the first extra hole to win for the second time on the DP World Tour. Lee, who fired a sizzling Sunday 64, topped a serious field that included Jon Rahm and Justin Thomas – who both finished in the top 10. There was a 90-minute weather delay late in the final round, but it didn’t quash Lee’s momentum, who had earlier birdied six holes in a row. The previous week’s DP World Tour winner, Lucas Herbert (he won the Irish Open) finished just one shot back of joining the playoff at 18 under. Lee and Detry earned spots in The Open Championship with their finishes along with England’s Jack Senior, who finished tied for 10th. HOW TO FOLLOW Television: Thursday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m. ET (Golf Channel – World Feed), 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. (Golf Channel). Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (Golf Channel), 12 p.m.-3 p.m. (CBS) For outside of the U.S., click here for GOLFTV powered by the PGA TOUR Radio: Thursday-Friday, 8 a.m.–1:30 p.m. ET. Saturday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. (PGA TOUR Radio on SiriusXM and PGATOUR.com/liveaudio PGA TOUR Live (All times ET): PGA TOUR LIVE PGA TOUR Live is available exclusively on ESPN+ • Main Feed: primary tournament-coverage featuring the best action from across the course • Marquee Group: new “marquee group” showcasing every shot from each player in the group • Featured Groups: traditional PGA TOUR LIVE coverage of two concurrent featured groups • Featured Holes: a combination of par-3s and iconic or pivotal holes
