Phil thrills as McIlroy lurks and Lowry's driving makes up for cold putter
Phil Mickelson of the United States plays his shot from the seventh tee during the second round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 26, 2020 in Cromwell, Connecticut. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Shane Lowry leads the field in strokes gained from the tee, but a cold putter meant he had to sweat to make the cut in the Travelers Championship as canny 50-year-old Phil Mickelson overshadowed Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau to take the lead.
After missing the cut in the first two PGA Tour events since the COVID-19 lockdown and then seen his three Tuesday practice partners withdraw after two caddies tested positive, Lowry opened with a four-under 66 but scored poorly early in the second round to find himself under pressure.
Should it be confirmed that the Ryder Cup go ahead, the Open champion is keen to show Pádraig Harrington some form by climbing those FedEx Cup standings.
But he bogeyed the first after short-siding himself with his approach, then three-putted the fourth, missing from inside four feet for his par to find himself outside the cut line.
He made just one putt outside five feet after that — a 16 footer at the seventh for his second birdie in a row following a two-putt birdie from 15 feet at the sixth.
So good was his ball-striking (he hit 12/14 fairways and 14/18 greens), he rarely struggled for par.
But the birdies wouldn't come, and he was clearly relieved to chip in from an upslope left of the par-three 16th for a two that moved him safely inside the cut line.
"It's the only way I'm gonna get it in the f*****g hole today," he muttered as he ambled to the hole-side to pick out his ball.
His 69 left him tied for 42nd on five-under-par, eight strokes behind Mickelson who was brilliant with his putter and wedges as he posted a seven-under 63 to lead by a shot from invitee Will Gordon, who birdied eight of his first 11 holes en route to career-low 62, and the Canadian Mackenzie Hughes (60-68).
Mickelson was not tempted to be drawn into a long-hitting contest with DeChambeau, who shot 67 to share ninth on eight-under, or McIlroy, who followed his opening 63 with a 68 to tie for fourth with Xander Schauffele, Brendan Steele, Brendon Todd and Marc Leishman.
"I didn't try to go toe-to-toe with two of the longest guys in the game, Bryson and Rory," said Mickelson, who frequently played for position and wound up following a bogey at the second with eight birdies, five of them coming in a homeward nine of 30.
"I ended up hitting some 3-woods on some of those holes because it fit my game better, and fortunately, I made a couple of birdies,” added Mickelson who hit 11 of 14 fairways compared to eight for McIlroy and nine for DeChambeau.
“I'm thinking about No. 7 as an example, where they hit driver, and I hit 3-wood and was still able to make birdie.
"Playing my game and the way the course set up for me was a challenge when you're playing with guys that hit it like that, but it allowed me to play some good golf."
While he jokes on Twitter about hitting "bombs" and remains one of the top 20 drivers of the ball in terms of distance rather than accuracy, Mickelson was not tempted to try and match his younger rivals yesterday.
"I tried in LA to match it with Brooks and Bubba, and those guys are long, and I was trying to swing hard, and I ended up missing the cut," the left-hander said.
"I ended up not playing well, and I learned from that, and I said, okay, I'm going to play this golf course a certain way. There's some holes I can open it up and try to hit driver, but really I just want to get it in play on a lot of holes and let my wedges take over, and I've hit a lot of good wedge shots this week."
The day was marred by two more withdrawals due to COVID-19 — Denny McCarthy testing positive and playing partner Bud Cauley also pulling out after what the PGA Tour described as "a precautionary measure" despite testing negative twice.
Cauley's withdrawal was unfortunate for the third member of the group, Matt Wallace and his Irish caddie Dave McNeilly.
"What Denny, Bud and others are demonstrating is exactly what we asked of everyone – continue to do your part in taking this virus seriously and keeping not only your own health as a priority, but also that of your fellow competitors and those you may come in contact with," PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said, inadvertently making Wallace look like a player who was not as serious about keeping his peers safe.
The Englishman was forced to play in a single and he felt compelled to ask, after carding a 72 to miss the cut on two-over, if the PGA Tour would have left Dustin Johnson or Rory McIlroy to play on their own.
"I can understand why he [Cauley] wouldn't play," Wallace said. "I haven't felt better myself. I'm playing with a chance to change my career if I win, so why wouldn't I play. It's black and white for me. I tested negative, and I can go play.
"Just a bit frustrated that maybe -- I don't know what the PGA TOUR might think, but would DJ play on his own? Would Rory play on his own? I probably doubt it, so they could have dropped one of the players back from in front or maybe from behind to go ahead and play with me. Just don't think it was a great move to leave someone out on their own in the middle of the pack."
Wallace later took to Instagram for six minutes to complain about negative press coverage of his appearance on Friday.
Like Ian Poulter, who made a similar video on Thursday, Wallace lauded the PGA Tour’s efforts to protect the player from the COVID-19 virus and insisted players were making a huge effort to stay safe.
With the spotlight on the PGA Tour as it travels around the USA where 16 states are suffering spikes in COVID-19 cases, there are signs of stress that external pressure could lead to a shutdown.
As Graeme McDowell said after his withdrawal earlier this week: "If we get to a point where we have to shut it down, it's very difficult to see where we come back."
Power cut on Korn Ferry Tour
Seamus Power missed the cut in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Utah Championship presented by Zions Bank.
The West Waterford golfer (33) followed a level par 71 with a 72 to miss the five-under-par cut by six strokes. Scores
Paul Haley II shot 62 and Kyle Jones a 65 to lead by a shot on 13-under par from Josh Teater (66), Chip McDaniel (64) and Chandler Blanchet (66).
Things To Know
In his first start since turning 50 on June 16, Phil Mickelson is positioned to become the eighth player to win over age 50
Will Gordon, playing on a sponsor exemption, birdied eight of his first 11 holes en route to career-low 62
Brendan Steele ties career-low score with 8-under 62; two of three 62s have come at TPC River Highlands (2014/R1)
With scores of 72-71—143 (+3), Collin Morikawa’s streak of consecutive made cuts to start his professional career ends at 22. Marks the second-longest streak in the last 30 years (Tiger Woods: 25 consecutive cuts)
Bryson DeChambeau is the only player to enter the weekend inside the top 10 on the leaderboard at each of the first three Return to Golf events
Second-round leaders/co-leaders to win the Travelers Championship since 2000: Jordan Spieth (2017), Bubba Watson (2015), Kenny Perry (2009), Stewart Cink (2008), Peter Jacobsen (2003) and Notah Begay III (2000)
Through 24 stroke-play events this season, 10 second-round leaders/co-leaders have gone on to win, most recently Webb Simpson/RBC Heritage
