by ldh2013 » Wed Jul 06, 2016 8:07 am
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. . - Phil Mickelson played the final 11 holes in 5 under to salvage a 2-under 69 on Thursday in the first round of the Phoenix Open.The three-time champion bogeyed his first hole — the par-4 10th — after driving left into a hospitality tent. He had a double bogey on the par-5 15th, driving left into the water and hitting his approach in the water in front of the green.I came out and I just made a bunch of dumb mistakes and Im 3 over, Mickelson said. I made a birdie on 17 and followed with one on 18, and that really turned the round back around. I ended up playing the front nine really solid with 3 under and hit a lot of good shots on some holes I made pars, as well, and feel much better.Making his 26th appearance in the event, Lefty rebounded with the birdies on Nos. 17 and 18 — hitting to 5 feet on the par-4 18th — and added birdies on Nos. 3, 8 and 9.Im in a position now if I get hot tomorrow I can get right back in it, Mickelson said. If I end up shooting 1 over, 2 over, I end up having to get a hot round just to get in the middle of the pack, so this was a big round to get it to under par.The 44-year-old Mickelson was five strokes behind clubhouse leader Ryan Palmer when play was suspended because of darkness. He tied for 24th last week in La Quinta in his first start since the Ryder Cup in September and is winless since the 2013 British Open.Mickelson won at TPC Scottsdale in 1996, 2005 and 2013. In 2013, He shot 60-65-64-67 to match the tournament record of 28-under 256.___COURSE REVIEW: Count Martin Laird among the players pleased with the changes Tom Weiskopf made last year to TPC Scottsdales Stadium Course.I think theyre fantastic, Laird said. I think the course needed it, just a little tweak. Obviously, two or three holes that have changed quite a bit, but a lot of it is little tweaks. Visually its fantastic. Every hole looks great. Change in the bunkers really made a difference. I mean, I like every single thing they did. Thats not often you hear that when guys make changes, and that said, I think it needed it. I think it came out fantastic.The Scottsdale-based Scot opened with a 66. He eagled the par-5 third hole, hitting a 266-yard shot 4 feet from the back left pin.It was kind of a perfect number for a cup 5-wood, Laird said. Thats a new green. Youve got to use the big ridge that runs across the middle. It came out just perfect. Used the slope.___RECORD CROWD: Tournament officials estimated the crowd at 118,461, shattering the Thursday mark of 88,113 set last year. The event counts cars in figuring its estimates.The par-3 16th hole will generate about $12 million in ticket revenue this week. There are 228 skyboxes on the stadium hole at close to $50,000 each and 3,500 general-admission seats.___RAINY FORECAST: Periods of rain were expected Friday, with forecasters saying a half-inch to an inch could fall. The high is expected to be 60 degrees. Morning rain was forecast Saturday with a high of 64. It is expected to 70 and mostly sunny Sunday.___DIVOTS: Canadian Graham DeLaet lives in Scottsdale. Its nice to be home and doesnt really feel like a tournament week until you get out here, DeLaet said after a 67. Sleeping in your own bed is always great. ... Daniel Berger hit a 358-yard on the 341-yard 17th, leaving a chip back to the green that he hit 3 feet to set up a birdie. He was 6 under with two holes left when play was suspended because of darkness. . PETERSBURG, Fla. . Koes Calgary squad of third Pat Simmons, second Carter Rycroft, and lead Nolan Thiessen methodically cruised to a 6-3 victory Saturday over Denmarks Rasmus Stjerne. . Ayovi scored in the 2nd and 9th minutes as Tijuana claimed a 4-3 aggregate win over the two legs of the quarterfinals. Argentine striker Dario Benedetto added a goal in the 26th minute and Richard Ruiz lengthened the lead in the 80th for Tijuana. LOS ANGELES -- Kobe Bryant is swiftly regaining his confidence and timing. His conditioning improves daily, and hes already leading the Los Angeles Lakers in scoring again. Yet thanks to Goran Dragic and the exciting Phoenix Suns, Kobe still doesnt have a victory. Dragic scored 12 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and the Suns beat the Lakers 114-108 Tuesday night, dropping Bryant to 0-2 in his comeback. Bryant scored 20 points while playing 29 mostly sharp minutes in his second game back from nearly eight months out with a torn Achilles tendon. He led a fourth-quarter rally by the Lakers, but they only got within four points with 3 minutes left before Phoenix held on. Bryant gave his performance a "B" grade, but realizes hes got more work to do -- both on his game and his chemistry with the rest of the Lakers. Bryant had just three turnovers against Phoenix after committing eight in his season debut two days ago against Toronto, but contributed just two rebounds and three assists while the Suns comfortably held on. "Its a process," Bryant said. "You just continue to figure out what you can and cant do. Every game, you try to step up and do a little bit more and just go from there." The Suns handled the Lakers with teamwork, shredding Los Angeles lousy defence during a 35-point fourth quarter to earn their first three-game winning streak of the season. Marcus Morris scored 22 points and Eric Bledsoe had 18 points and nine assists for the surprising Suns, who never trailed after the opening minutes. Phoenix held off the Lakers with superb fourth-quarter play from both Morris brothers, who scored nine points apiece down the stretch. Markieff Morris finished with 15 points. "We kept pushing the ball and didnt slow it down too much," Marcus Morris said of the fourth quarter. "We came out with a lot of energy and kind of got them on their toes. They were playing small, so we had a great opportunity to attack the boards. And thats what we did." Pau Gasol scored 19 points while Jodie Meeks, Nick Young and Jordan Hill added 13 apiece for the Lakers, who have llost three of four to fall back below . . 500. Los Angeles NBA-best bench contributed 43 points while using just four reserves, but Phoenix dominated the boards, outrebounding the Lakers 43-33. Phoenix hadnt beaten the Lakers at Staples Center since November 2010. "I think we have a group of guys who play hard all the time, and theyre not selfish," Phoenix coach Jeff Hornacek said. "They genuinely like each other to do well. If guys take bad shots, well take them out of the game. But for the most part, they run our offence. Weve got two great point guards in Goran -- who had a great game -- and Eric." Dragic hit two 3-pointers and didnt miss any of his 11 free throws, finishing one point shy of his career high in his latest outstanding performance against the Lakers. Phoenixs small, active lineup led by Dragic and Bledsoe was too much for the slower Lakers in the final minutes. "Its there. Weve just got to execute a little better," Bryant said. "The willingness and competitiveness is there. We just have to make sure we come out in the right areas and execute it." The game was another bump in a long road for Bryant, who had nine points in a rocky season debut on Sunday night. But Kobe felt fresher than expected after his first game since April, and coach Mike DAntoni is still limiting Bryants minutes to keep him healthy for the teams stretch of four road games in five nights starting later this week. Bryant started off his night against Phoenix with his first dunk of the season off a two-footed leap in the first quarter. Bryant still emphasized playmaking over shooting, but played a more polished floor game in the first half with 10 points, just one turnover and two assists, including the pass for Gasols buzzer-beating jumper. NOTES: Shawne Williams got a technical foul in the final seconds of the first half for putting a forearm into Dragic, who crashed to the ground. ... DAntoni changed his lineup, putting Meeks and Williams in the starting five and bumping C Robert Sacre to the bench. ... Phoenix C Alex Len didnt play with a sore left ankle. ' ' '
