If this were an age versus beauty contest, then the senior members of the golfing tribe showed the flat-bellied gym bunnies they still had a kick in them – and they don’t want to stop there.
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In blustery, rainy conditions for his last 10 holes, Mickelson controlled his game and scrambled to get to 10-under 132 midway through the British Open to lead Henrik Stenson, who shot a 65.
Defending British Open champion: Zach Johnson, United States. He even caught a break with the weather, his black rain suit coming in handy only over his final 10 holes Friday.
A two-tee start was used for the first time in Open history in the third round at Hoylake in 2014 in anticipation of bad weather, which memorably arrived just as eventual victor McIlroy was giving his post-round press conference.
Elsewhere, reigning champion Zach Johnson saw his challenge fade after a four-over-par 75 dropped him back to one-under altogether, and Rory McIlroy’s prospects also ended with another hard afternoon.
“Hit a lot of great shots, so I’m looking forward to this weekend”, Johnson said.
“I don’t feel any pressure to win the Claret Jug because I’ve already won it”, he said. “But at the same time he’s six years older than me, so I should be a little stronger, shouldn’t I?”
“So if I can do that and get closer to the leaders, the back nine, no matter what wind you get, is going to be very hard”.
World number one Jason Day continued his travails with a 71 that left him at one-over. “So anything around even par right there this afternoon was a decent score”.
The nature of links golf, and this championship, is getting the good side of the tee times.
When the tournament concludes Sunday, look for Stenson to emerge as the British Open champion. “Some draws go your way and some draws don’t”.
“The clubhead came loose on it earlier in the week so I had to get it re-glued, so it is partly to do with that and partly the throw itself, ” said the 27-year-old, who told Press Association Sport last year his fine for launching his three iron into a lake at Doral during the WGC-Cadillac Championship was reduced from 25,000 U.S. dollars to 5,000 (£3,700) for apologising on TV. Then this year, it’s not so much. But I’m not going to let being on the wrong side ruin my mood or ruin my week.
“I was five back of Phil from yesterday, so of course I was hoping to gain a little”, Stenson said.
“Some days it’s easy and it looks pretty like the first couple”, Mickelson said. He is not fazed by his position at the head of the tournament, and the digits on his birth certificate are meaningless in his opinion. I feel better and now that my swing is back on plane, I’m starting to play some of my best golf again.
Henrik Stenson of Sweden acknowledges the crowd after putting and making a birdie on the 17th green during the third round of the British Open Golf Championship at the Royal Troon Golf Club in Troon, Scotland, Saturday, July 16, .
Els isn’t the only player to miss the cut at each of the first three majors this year.
Mickelson, a five-time major champion and 42-time victor on the PGA Tour, has not won since the 2013 Open at Muirfield. So far, so good.
“You wanted me to say this last week, didn’t you”, he joked.
Stenson, 40, still chasing his first major triumph, was not so lucky, his effort did find sand and a bogey dropped him to 10-under. “I’m not going to complain about it”. It might be a dozen or 15 in total.
“I couldn’t get home at 15 unless I hit three wood, but it was a three-shot par four, which was fantastic”. Soren Kjeldsen shot 68 to move to 7 under. Driving woes undermined his confidence a few years ago, but he’s now back on song and loving the vibe of challenging for Tour titles. “I get you have to cover it, but why do you have to interfere with it?”
“I’ll get it reshafted tonight”. Of the 20 players who broke par in the second round, only four started in the afternoon – Marc Leishman (69), Day (70), Byeong Hun An (70) and Patton Kizzire (70).
“It felt like the rain was coming up underneath the umbrella”, Day said.
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“No one enjoys it but there is some sort of challenge to it”.
