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Mickelson sits at 4-under in his return to the Tour with three holes left to play.
Phil Mickelson waits for a drop ruling from an official after hitting his tee shot into a lake on the 18th hole during the first round of the St. Jude Classic golf tournament on Thursday. The second round was halted because of approaching storms.
AP PHOTO
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Phil Mickelson is looking a bit more at ease, the golf course providing some of the distraction he wanted while he and his wife deals with her breast cancer.
Now if he can just his putter back under control.
Mickelson just missed a couple birdie attempts Friday, then cost himself a stroke when a par putt lipped out. Not that he got the chance to correct his stroke during the second round of the St. Jude Classic. He marked his tee shot in the 16th fairway, got a ride off the course and jumped into his car after play was stopped ahead of thunderstorms that had tornado sirens wailing.
Play was halted and fans and players were cleared from the TPC Southwind course when the horn sounded 10 minutes before thunder could be heard on Friday. Tornado sirens then went off approximately 40 minutes after play was stopped with the storm tossing equipment around the course and knocking power out in parts of town.
Brian Gay held the clubhouse lead after a 4-under 66 put him at 10-under 130 through 36 holes, two strokes ahead of Robert Allenby and Bryce Molder (63), with Allenby having three holes to play. A total of 78 golfers still must finish when the second round resumes Saturday morning.
Mickelson was at 4 under with three birdies and a bogey in his first event since announcing his wife has breast cancer. This is a tuneup for the U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, and his preparation showed when he pulled an iron instead of driver or a wood on the tee a couple times Friday.
Hundreds of fans followed Mickelson from hole to hole yet again at the TPC Southwind course, many wearing pink in support of Mickelson and the fight against breast cancer.
“The star this week is Phil Mickelson,” said John Senden, who shot a 66.
Mickelson appeared much more relaxed Friday, even laughing a couple times during breaks with playing partner Padraig Harrington. He started tied for 19th at 2 under and began with three straight pars on a day with almost no wind and near perfect scoring conditions until the storm approached.
He finally got going with a birdie on No. 4 — the first of three birdies over the next six holes.
He mashed his drive 348 yards on the par-4 ninth, staying dry when his ball stopped within a few feet right of the pond guarding the front left of the green. He stuck his approach within 5 feet from the pin and rolled in another putt for birdie to move to 5 under.
Then came the struggles with the putter. Mickelson left a birdie attempt short on No. 11 and had to tap in for par. He pulled an iron off the tee on the par-4 No. 12 and laid up to avoid the lake along the right fairway before dropping his second shot 12 feet from the cup. His birdie attempt rolled just right of the hole and a couple feet past.
Then Mickelson pushed his drive into the rough, coming up a couple feet short of knee-high weeds. He bogeyed the hole but not because of that drive. He missed a 25-footer for birdie, then lipped out a 3-footer for par when the ball hit the back of the cup and turned out right.
He laid up again on the par-4 15th and had a short birdie putt he pushed a couple feet past with his frustration starting to show.
Mickelson rebounded with a strong drive on the par-5 16th, a good scoring hole especially with him 210 yards away. The horn blasted so he handed his ball to his caddie, got into a cart and was driven off the course.