Phil Mickelson regains his scoring touch as 'perfect' set up demands 'respect'

Phil Mickelson isn’t quite ready to ride off into the sunset and play exclusively with the “round bellies”. He showed us why by producing a polished performance in the third circuit on his 29th Masters appearance.

Phil Mickelson looks on from the second green during the third round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. Picture: Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images.

Having just scraped into the weekend on three-over after not being at his best in the opening two rounds, this was a thing of beauty from the three-time winner at Augusta National.

Two birdies in the first three holes got his engine warmed up and he went on to add further gains at the eighth and 13th, with his only dropped shot coming at the difficult seventh.

What was most impressive, though, was how he kept his momentum going to eventually sign for a three-under 69 - his 39th score in the 60s in this event.

He’d just holed a testing par putt at the 14th when his second shot at the par-5 was a bit “sticky” and ended up in drink. It was Mickelson at his best, though, as he produced a sensational up and down to salvage the situation.

And what about the way he finished the day? He was in sand off the tee and then found another bunker at the front of the green. But, having already done exactly the same at the previous hole, his magical touch ensured that no damage was done.

“This was a round, first time in a long time, where I scored, where I just kept saving shots and putting it in the right spot,” he said afterwards. “I didn't really strike it as well as I did the first few days, but I scored. I got up and down a lot, and it felt good to shoot a number at least.”

Referring to the firm and fast conditions for the 85th edition, he added: “In my opinion, it's set up perfectly to identify the best player, and the guys that are striking it well are up on the leaderboard, the guys that are putting it well.

“And I think it's very fair because we're making divots, the balls are stopping. It's not like the '90s where we weren't, but you have to have quality shots. You've got to hit angles into the pins. You've got to be smart.

“I think it's perfectly done, and it punishes you, like it did me the first couple of days, when you make mistakes or don't put it in the right spot or hit poor chips. I love seeing it like this because you can score low, but you also need to respect it.”

In his rookie season, Mickelson won twice on the Champions Tour last year and is “having a lot more fun than I thought” there. “I really enjoy the Champions Tour,” he said. “I enjoy having pins that are five from the edge and not two-and-a-half or three, and I enjoy having a chance to short-side yourself and still get up-and-down.”

But he’s far from finished on the PGA Tour, where 44 titles have fallen to the popular Californian. “The challenge that gets the best out of me is trying to play and compete against the best players,” said the 2013 Open and Scottish Open champion.

“I still want to have that challenge in my life because it brings the best out of me.”

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