Phil Mickelson showed glimmers of his former self in Jeddah last week but things did not go to plan in the opening round in Hong Kong – with the American bottom of the leaderboard
Phil Mickelson had an opening round at LIV Hong Kong to forget on Friday, just days after the six-time major winner recorded his best ever finish on the breakaway circuit.
Mickelson failed to register a single birdie across his opening 18 holes at Hong Kong Golf Club, shooting a 10-over-par 80 to leave him rock-bottom of the leaderboard. Amid his birdie-less first round, the HyFlyers captain carded three double bogeys and four bogeys.
The three-time Masters champion finds himself four shots back of the rest of the field, with wildcard Hudson Swafford and the returning Anthony Kim tied for 52nd at six-over.
His nightmare start came less than a week after impressing in Jeddah, where Mickelson finishing the tournament with a three-under 67 to leave him in a tie for sixth – his best performance since joining LIV Golf. In the aftermath, the former PGA Tour star seemed pleased with his game, after a tough start to life on the course with the breakaway league.
Keen to build on his Saudi showing this week, he said pre-tournament: “It was a good week for me. It was the best finish I’ve had out here. I started to find some things in my game that I’m hoping to build on and continue solid play going into Hong Kong’s event, going into this week.
“But there’s a lot of positives for me to build on from last week was a good week for me. It was the best finish I’ve had out here. I started to find some things in my game that I’m hoping to build on and continue solid play going into Hong Kong’s event, going into this week. But there’s a lot of positives for me to build on from last week.”
It was not to be though for Mickelson on Friday, who has left himself with a mountain to climb heading into the weekend. Much has been said about 53-year-old’s form since joining the Saudi-backed series, having struggled to replicate the performances that made him a legend on the PGA Tour.
Despite struggling for form, Mickelson does have the safety net of not having to worry about relegation from the breakaway circuit, regardless of his finishing position. As one of LIV’s team captains, Mickelson is exempt from relegation, but it remains to be seen just how long he will continue to play.
Late last month, the 2021 PGA champion’s biographer Alan Shipnuck reported that Mickelson’s next contract with LIV could well be a non-playing one, with his current deal set to expire at the end of 2025. Shipnuck also added that RangeGoats captain, and fellow major champion Bubba Watson could also follow the same fate.
