By Tod Leonard
The stories are legend of Phil Mickelson tossing up a 60 on one of his well-manicured home tracks in San Diego just before heading out on the PGA Tour, only for all that mojo to be gone when he steps on a meaty competitive course with rough and length and tricky greens.

On Monday, it was as if he was on one of the layouts so cozy to him, just playing for sizeable pocket change with his buddies. In some ways, he was.

Mickelson made his PGA Tour Champions debut, and while grouped with a couple of gentlemen who have been strong competitors during his career, Steve Stricker and Retief Goosen, and on a forgiving layout with no rough or tucked pins, Lefty’s game was reborn. Mickelson drained five straight birdies, including two bombs, in a back nine of 29 and shot 10-under-par 61 to be in the lead of the Charles Schwab Challenge at Ozarks National.

Even the unusual Monday start to the event—due to the emergency scheduling of back-to-back tournaments in Ridgedale, Mo., because of coronavirus pandemic cancellations—seemed to offer a good, casual vibe for Mickelson, who turned 50 in June. He started well after lunch, local time, and already had a number to shoot for-—New Zealander David McKenzie’s morning-wave 62.

Mickelson, who missed the cut in last week’s PGA Tour FedEx Cup Playoffs tournament in Boston and was eliminated from postseason earlier than at any time in his career, went into his Champions bow as the heavy betting favorite to become the 20th player in the tour’s history to win in his first start.

“I was a little nervous,” Mickelson said afterwards. “I wanted to come out and play well. … I’ve been playing really well at home and I get out on tour and I’m playing tight, not letting myself go and swing free and aggressively. I get a little steery. To come out here and compete, it gives me a chance to work on that.”

Ozarks National—the Bill Coor and Ben Crenshaw-designed layout that opened last year and was named Golf Digest’s Best New Public Course for 2019—is generous off the tee, with no rough and massive greens. At just over 7,000 yards, it’s playing about 300 yards shorter than TPC Boston did a week ago in the Northern Trust.

Brett Carlsen
Phil Mickelson lines up a putt attempt on the ninth green during his PGA Tour Champions debut on Monday.

The par-5s don’t stretch beyond 550 yards, so Mickelson had a crack at all of them in two shots, notching three birdies and a bogey [when he drove out of bounds at 9]. There was as a 350-yard par 4 that he nearly came out of his shoes on and drove the green for a birdie. And the par-3 at No. 17 played all of 121 yards, with Mickelson smoothly carving a wedge to three feet.

When he wasn’t hitting his short irons to close range, his putter was hot—he made a 40-foot birdie at the 15th and a 35-footer at 16. Mickelson acknowledged that some of the credit goes to the easier Champions hole placements. On the regular tour, he said, “you see 12 or 13 holes that are on the crest. It’s hard to get it close. … It’s not like the pins were easy [on Monday], but they were what you would see on a challenging setup on your home course.”

Felt like the home course. Looked like a homecooked score.

The post Phil Mickelson sets the pace in his Champions debut with a 61 appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By John Strege
Life after 50 apparently is going to be good for Jerry Kelly, certainly profitable. Late in his first season on the PGA Tour Champions, he has found his stride.

Kelly won the Pacific Links Bear Mountain Championship at Bear Mountain Resort in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, on Sunday. It was his second victory in his last three starts, with a tie for sixth at the Shaw Charity Classic sandwiched between his latest win and one in the Boeing Classic three weeks ago.

A quick start — three straight birdies to begin his round — and back-nine help from those ahead of him resulted in a one-stroke victory over Lee Janzen. Kelly closed with a three-under par 68 and a 54-hole total of 14-under par 199.

He hit all 13 fairways and 15 of 18 greens in regulation to a cap a week of strong ball-striking. He missed only four fairways in three rounds and hit 80 percent of greens in regulation. Throw in solid putting and it was a recipe for success.

Kelly was the third player to lead on the back nine and was the beneficiary of stumbles by Australian David McKenzie and Janzen.

McKenzie, a Monday qualifier playing only his third senior event since turning 50 in July, double-bogeyed the 14th and 17th holes and ultimately finished in a tie for third with Tommy Armour III.

Janzen, in pursuit of a second PGA Tour Champions victory, took the lead from McKenzie, but bogeyed the 15th hole, then double-bogeyed the 17th to go from a stroke ahead of Kelly to a stroke behind. He eventually finished second.

Kelly, who won three PGA Tour events in his long career, has finished in the top 10 in seven of 15 senior starts and in the top 25 in 13 of 15. He earned $275,000 for his latest victory, increasing his earnings for the season to $1,126,577.

The post Jerry Kelly, with assists from those ahead of him, wins for second time in last three starts on PGA Tour Champions appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.