Category: PGA Tour Champions

Black Course at Tiburón in Florida ready for its first close-up at PGA Tour Champions’ Chubb Classic

The Chubb Classic in Naples, Florida, to be first televised event on the Black, as other events have been played on the club’s Gold Course.

NAPLES, Fla. – Instead of going for the Gold, tour golfers are betting on the Black this week at Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort.

The PGA Tour Champions’ Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO will be played on the club’s Black Course, the first time it has been used for a tour event. The Gold Course, the original of the two Greg Norman layouts, has been used for every QBE Shootout since 2001, and also for the LPGA Tour’s CME Group Tour Championship since 2013.

“Tiburón is proud to host three professional events in Naples,” Tiburón Golf Club general manager Kevin DeDonato said. “This could not be done without the hard work and dedication of our entire team.  Putting our facility on the national stage three times in the last five months is quite an honor and we could not do this without the great support of our partners at Troon, Wasserman, Eiger, Ritz, and many others.

“We look forward to great success with this PGA Tour Champions event and are excited to once again showcase Naples and our facility.”

Tiburón had 27 holes, then an additional nine were added, with the Black Course opening in 2002, four years after the Gold. The fourth nine joined with the old South Course to become the Black Course. The North and West became the Gold Course.

The fourth nine holes actually split up part of what was originally the South Course. The first seven holes of the Black are the same as the first seven of the old South. Then the next nine holes are all new, with players finishing up on the final two holes of the old South.

“The Black Course is every bit as good as the Gold, and we are fortunate enough to have two championship courses that our members and guests can enjoy,” DeDonato said.

“It’s a pretty exciting opportunity for Tiburón,” Black Course superintendent Ryan Sherbert said. “Myself and the crew are really excited to show off the product that we’re able to provide here.”

Tiburón’s Black Course in Naples, Florida (Courtesy of Dave Sansom)

It underwent a massive renovation in 2018, undergoing extensive greens, turf, irrigation and bunker renovations. Green surrounds and approaches were reconfigured and also regrassed with Celebration Bermuda grass. Greens are TifEagle Bermuda.

“This is a little bit tougher course,” said Sherbert, who has been at Tiburón for 10 years and the Black Course superintendent for five. “We tried to make it a little more player friendly, moving some of the tees so they had a better view of the fairways, making bunkers smaller and adding some rough.”

“The Black presents some different challenges than the Gold with tighter tee shots and a cut of rough on the perimeter of each hole,” DeDonato said. “Each hole is demanding, and I believe that the course will be a true test for the Champions Tour players to enjoy.”

Sherbert, who is originally from Colorado and grew up in Minnesota before coming to Southwest Florida, has enjoyed working with the PGA Tour Champions to get the course set up.

“Working alongside the rules officials has provided some opportunity and insight,” he said. “It’s just been nice.”

Sherbert and the crew – there are 45 who work both courses – have been doing some tidying up of the Black to get it ready for tour golf and TV.

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“We still had some (Hurricane) Irma cleanup on the edges of the fairways so we’ve been working on that, trimming here and there, where play might go,” he said. “Other than that, it’s kind of normal setup for what we hope to provide day-to-day for a PGA-level course. There’s definitely a lot more attention to detail.”

All of that work will be before the eyes of a national cable television audience starting Friday.

“It’s going to be neat to be able to see it with the crew,” Sherbert said. “We’ll be there in the afternoon watching.

“I’ll probably be speechless. Just seeing their reactions will be cool.”

KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship to be played at Southern Hills with limited fans

The 2021 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship will be played at Southern Hills with limited fans in attendance.

The PGA of America announced Friday the 2021 KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship will allow a limited number of spectators on-site at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The event, scheduled to be held May 25-30, plans to welcome approximately 8,000 spectators each day after coordinating with the city of Tulsa and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The health and well being of our volunteers, spectators and players has always been our top priority, and we are thrilled that we were able to work together to find a safe way to bring back this incredible event,” said Deb O’Connor, director of Global Corporate Reputation and Community Relations at Whirlpool Corporation, the parent company of KitchenAid. “With 1,500 people currently employed at our Tulsa Whirlpool plant, we could not be more excited to bring this iconic Championship to such a special community.”

Fans, staff and volunteers in attendance will be required to wear face coverings at all times, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. Social distancing will also be enforced and sanitation stations will be present around the property.

The PGA of America plans to continue monitoring COVID-19 developments and work with local health officials before and during the event.

The tournament returns to the Champions Tour calendar after being canceled in 2020 at Harbor Shores Resort in Benton Harbor, Michigan, due to a Michigan stay-at-home order as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

“After a year away, we’re excited to re-establish the legacy of the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship,” PGA President Jim Richerson said in a statement. “Southern Hills, with all of its pedigree, is certainly a special place. It’ll be exciting to watch this great American golf course ー which our friend Gil Hanse restored to Perry Maxwell’s original vision ー on a Major Championship stage, not once, but twice, in as many years.”

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Kevin Sutherland rallies to win Cologuard Classic on PGA Tour Champions

Kevin Sutherland tracked down Mike Weir and won the Cologuard Classic on PGA Tour Champions on Sunday in Tucson.

TUCSON, Ariz. — The last time Mike Weir and Kevin Sutherland each won, they did so in the state of Arizona.

Sutherland’s win was just three months ago at the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix. Mike Weir, meanwhile, hasn’t won  since 2007. That’s a stretch of 13 years, four months and seven days since he won the Fry’s Electronics Open on the PGA Tour at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale.

On Sunday, when Weir birdied the eighth hole at the Cologuard Classic, the second PGA Tour Champions event in 2021, he took a four-shot lead. It started to look like the drought would finally be over.

But on a chilly and windy day, Sutherland, who started the final round two shots back of the lead, made his move on the back nine at the Omni Tucson National Resort.

He birdied the 10th and 12th and then chipped in for birdie on the par-3 16th, the only birdie on that hole on Sunday. When Weir bogeyed the 16th, there was a tie for the lead with two to go.

On the par-5 17th, Sutherland made a short birdie putt to take a one-shot lead. Both striped their drives on the 18th hole and after Sutherland stuffed his approach to about 10 feet, he made a par putt to clinch the win at 15 under.

Weir bogeyed the last to finish 13 under.

Cologuard Classic
A backyard sign showing support for Phil Mickelson at the 2021 Cologuard Classic at the Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

An eventful week

Phil Mickelson posted 14 birdies over the course of three days but had a double bogey in each of his first two rounds and a triple on the ninth hole on Sunday.

In both his first and second rounds, Mickelson also had an adventure on the 15h hole. Two days in a row, his ball nearly went into the lake and both days, he made amazing saves. Friday he hit off the mud to make birdie, Saturday he saved par after taking off his socks and shoes to stand in the lake to hit again from the mud.

When he got to the 15th tee on Sunday, he quickly charted a different path.

This time, he had caddie/brother Tim Mickelson pull a stake out of the ground to lower the rope, motioned a course volunteer out of the way, aimed right off the box and punched his tee shot through a small opening of trees up the 17th fairway.

Cologuard Classic
Phil Mickelson and caddie/brother Tim Mickelson look through an opening of trees on the 15th tee box to the 17th fairway, where Mickelson would play his tee shot on Sunday in the final round of the 2021 Cologuard Classic at the Omni Tucson National Resort. (Photo: Todd Kelly/Golfweek)

After arriving at his ball in the fairway, he said “What’s up?” to the oncoming group of Billy Andrade, Jeff Sluman and Fred Funk.

“Then I only had about 215 to the hole and took a 4-wood over the trees,” Mickelson said. His ball landed between the 15th green’s front-facing bunkers. From there, he chipped on and two putted for par but expressed frustration about it.

“This is the stuff I’ve been doing. I hit a decent chip but I left it above the hole, missed the putt, make a 5. I hit three decent shots and I got a 5, and I gotta fix that somehow.”

It’s not an uncommon strategy at Tucson National. Woody Austin, for one, does it all the time, according to frequent spectators at the event.

Mickelson finished in a seven-way tie for 20th at 4 under, his bid for an unprecedented third win in his first three Champions tour starts falling short.

He wore a red shirt under his black pullover Sunday, part of the show of support across the golf world for Tiger Woods.

“So two things happened today. I wore red in honor of Tiger to let him know that the players support him and appreciate all that he’s done,” he said. “I had to buy a red shirt and of course every red shirt here (in Tucson) has a big A on it (for the University of Arizona, arch rival to Mickelson’s Arizona State). I’m not going to flash it (the A) but it’s under here (his black pullover). I hope he knows that we’re supporting him. Because that was a lot for me to do that.”

Other notables

Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker finished T-3 with Scott Parel. Jeff Maggert finished solo fifth. Tournament ambassador Jerry Kelly finished 9 under and tied for sixth with Tim Petrovic. Defending champion Bernhard Langer parred the 18th hole to shoot an even-par 73 and finish 6 under, tied for 14th. Local favorite Jim Furyk tied for 17th at 5 under.

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Mike Weir, winless since 2007, leads Cologuard Classic on PGA Tour Champions

Mike Weir hasn’t won a golf tournament since 2007 but he’s in position to snap a streak of more than 13 winless years on Sunday.

Mike Weir hasn’t won a golf tournament since 2007 but he’s in position to snap a streak of more than 13 winless years on Sunday.

After his second-round 67, Weir is atop the leaderboard at the Cologuard Classic, the second PGA Tour Champions event in 2021, at the Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Arizona.

His last victory anywhere came at the short-lived Fry’s Electronics Open on the PGA Tour at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale. A win Sunday would be his first in 233 starts—194 PGA Tour, 19 Korn Ferry Tour, 11 PGA Tour Champions, nine European Tour—worldwide.

This week in Tucson, Weir is 4 under on the front nine and 10 under on the back and has posted rounds of 66 and 67. He is at 13 under and will take a two-shot lead over Kevin Sutherland into Sunday’s final round.

“I can’t recall a time where I’ve hit so many shots close to the hole,” Weir said. “I’ve hit really a lot of shots that have been almost tap-in to just outside of tap-in. I don’t know, probably six, seven, eight shots. So my wedges have been very good, even mid iron game’s been very good, so that’s really been good. And I’m driving it good.”

Sutherland, who won the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix in November, eagled the 17th to get to 11 under.

Scott Parel is in third at 10 under, three shots back. Scott Verplank bogeyed the last and is 9 under, four back. Jeff Maggert, who started the day in 28th, posted the low round of the day with a 7-under 66. He had eight birdies in his round and is tied for fifth at 8 under with David Toms and Tim Petrovic, who made a hole-in-one for the second day in a row. On Friday he aced the 16th, on Saturday, the 14th.

“I called my wife yesterday and I said, ‘You see my card?’ And she goes, ‘Yeah, you made an eagle.’ I said, ‘Yeah, that’s part of it, but it was on a par 3.’ She goes, ‘Oh, my God, hole-in-one,'” said Petrovic. “I think they got this one (on Saturday) on video, though, so my dad will probably, he’s probably still laying on the floor in his living room right now, watching that one go in.”

Phil Mickelson had a double-bogey on the par-5 second hole but he responded with birdies on Nos. 3, 4 and 6. On 15, he had another memorable mud ball save from the edge of a lake and walked off the course with a 1-under 72.

“I thought I might have made another birdie from the mud. I couldn’t hit that wedge shot any better,” he said.

He is nine shots off the lead and will have some work to do on Sunday as he chases a first-ever third straight win in his first three starts on the Champions circuit.

Cologuard Classic Jim Furyk
A sign showing support for Arizona Wildcat alum Jim Furyk is seen at the Cologuard Classic at the Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Arizona. (Photo: Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

Defending champion Bernhard Langer is six under and is T-11, seven shots back as he chases his 42nd victory on the Champions tour, which he joined in 2007. He has at least one win in 14 years on the circuit. Local favorite Jim Furyk shot a second-round 69 and is T-15, eight shots off the lead.

Others of note: Steve Stricker (T-8), Fred Couples (T-11), Cologuard ambassador Jerry Kelly (T-11), Ernie Els (T-15), John Smoltz (T-51). John Daly withdrew after 12 holes.

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Phil Mickelson takes off socks and shoes, hits from the mud at Cologuard Classic

For the second day in a row, Phil Mickelson stepped in a lake to make a great save at the PGA Tour Champions Cologuard Classic.

For the second day in a row, Phil Mickelson stepped in a lake to make a great save.

On Friday, Lefty sank his shoes in the mud on the fringes of a lake on the par-5 15th hole at the Omni Tucson National Resort to get out of trouble. Two shots later and he was in for a birdie and later said “it kind of calmed me down for the last few holes” during his first round of the PGA Tour Champions Cologuard Classic.

On Saturday, he nearly found the water again on the 15th hole, with his ball, again, just staying short of going all the way in. Only this time, he decided to took off his shoes and socks before stepping in the lake.

With his ball just inches from submerging in the water, Mickelson took a wack at the ball and managed not to cover himself in mud.

From there, with his socks and shoes back on, he put it on the green with his third, and although he missed he putt, he did make par on the hole, providing golf fans with another memorable shot.

He shot a second-round 72 and found himself eight shots off the lead, his bid for an historic three-wins-in-three-starts on the Champions tour in jeopardy.

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Phil Mickelson birdies from the mud; Mike Weir fires 66 to lead PGA Tour Champions Cologuard Classic

Mike Weir, whose last win came 14 years ago in Arizona, leads after the first round in Tucson.

Phil Mickelson made all the pre-tournament headlines and had one of the highlights of the day on Friday, but it’s another lefty, Mike Weir, who stole the show in the opening round of the PGA Tour Champions Cologuard Classic.

Playing in the last group to tee off on No. 1, Weir fired a bogey-free 66 to take a one-shot lead over Scott Verplank at the Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Arizona.

It’s Weir’s lowest opening-round in 12 starts on the Champions circuit, giving him his first first-round lead on the tour. His previous best Champions Tour finish was second—to Mickelson—in the Dominion Energy Charity Classic last August.

“Now you have to keep the pedal down, you have to keep playing well,” he said. “But this is a quirky golf course, you have to play smart. There’s certain holes here. … it gets your attention.”

Weir’s last victory anywhere came in Arizona at the 2007 Fry’s Electronics Open at Grayhawk in Scottsdale.

Verplank opened with a 67 after he holed out from a bunker on the ninth hole, his last. Paul Goydos, Jeff Sluman and Kevin Sutherland all shot 68s and sit two back of the lead.

Mickelson shot a 3-under 70 on the par-73 track. He had three birdies on each nine but bogeyed the 11th and doubled the 13th. On the par-5 15th, after his ball just about went into a lake, Mickelson submerged his shoes in the mud to hit his second shot. He went on to make birdie.

“On 15 I laid up with a 5-iron to stay short of the water. I wanted to try to be in the right rough because it shortens the second shot by 30 yards,” he said. “It’s 237 to the water, into the wind, hit 5-iron and went in the water. I couldn’t believe it. It was a little upsetting to say the least. … it was in the mud, I could hit it. So I got in there with a 9-iron and was able to lay up, and hit another 9-iron close and make birdie, which was crazy. It kind of calmed me down for the last few holes.”

Defending champion Bernhard Langer is T-14 after shooting a 71. Former Arizona Wildcat and local favorite Jim Furyk is T-28 after posting a 1-under 72.

Other scores of note: Steve Stricker (-4), Fred Couples (-2), Ernie Els (E), John Daly (+4) and John Smoltz (+4).

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Phil Mickelson, Jim Furyk renew rivalry at PGA Tour Champions’ Cologuard Classic in Tucson

Phil Mickelson and Jim Furyk, old college rivals, are set to play in Tucson in the Cologuard Classic on the PGA Tour Champions.

TUCSON, Ariz. — They battled on several occasions in college, and each helped their team win an NCAA Championship. They sit in the Nos. 2 and 3 spots on the PGA Tour’s all-time money list. They both won their first two events on the PGA Tour Champions.

And they’ll lock horns once again this week at Tucson National for the Cologuard Classic.

Phil Mickelson, from Arizona State, and Jim Furyk, who played at Arizona, are set to play the event for the first time, as they are both eligible after having turned 50 last year.

Mickelson will have a chance at history: no golfer has ever won his first three starts on a PGA Tour-sanctioned tour. For Furyk, returning to his college stomping grounds is a trip down memory lane.

“My first top 10 on the PGA Tour, it was my second event as a rookie. … played a solid 1 under on Sunday, finished seventh. It was a good confident boost right there at Tucson National. It’s a place that I played a lot and practiced out of in college and as a young professional. It’s a golf course I haven’t played now in probably over 10 years but it’s a place I know very well and it’s kinda dear to my heart,” Furyk said. “It’s a good spot for me and brings back great memories.”

Tucson has great memories for Mickelson, too. On Jan. 13, 1991, Mickelson won the Northern Telecom Open as an amateur. He remains the last amateur to win a PGA Tour event.

WGC - Dell Technologies Match Play
Jim Furyk and Phil Mickelson on the first hole during the second round of the WGC – Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club. (Photo: Stephen Spillman-USA TODAY Sports)

“I can’t believe it’s been 30 years, it just has raced by,” he said on Thursday at the course after his pro-am. “It brings back a lot of those memories. And Steve Loy and I have been spending some time the last few days—he caddied for me that week, he was my college golf coach—as we were talking about all the great things that have happened certainly the week here and all around that week and that win and how much fun we had. It’s a really special place to me.”

College wasn’t the first time these two met on the golf course.

“I remember playing with Jim back in junior golf and one memory that stands out for me was it was raining and he had these white cotton gloves and he had no problems gripping the club. I thought, wow, I’ve never seen that,” Mickelson said. “It’s little things like that that we kind of carry through. Jim’s one of the most quality guys on the PGA Tour and I’m very appreciative of our friendship over the years.”

Furyk got in some solid prep at the PGA Tour’s Genesis Invitational last week. He opened with a 69 and after making the cut, closed with a 69 to finish T-26 in a stacked field that included eight of the top 10 players in the Official World Golf Ranking.

While he can still make Tour cuts, Furyk knows his future, and quite frankly most of his present, is on the senior circuit.

“I am playing some on the PGA Tour but I consider my home tour the Champions tour,” he said, noting that the competition is real.

“The competition is strong,” he said. “Folks think that on the Champions tour you go play your 18 holes and then you head to the locker room and you sit around and have a glass of wine or a beer and tell stories. … I tell you, the driving range is full of guys practicing. The chipping and putting is full of guys practicing. The guys are still competitive and they are still hungry and that’s what we all enjoy. We enjoy the competition and maybe I don’t have to hit 320 yards anymore to do so. I’m enjoying it.”

As for Mickelson, he admits he’s just not ready to make the Champions tour his full-time tour.

“I haven’t looked at the Champions events. I will play the Players and Honda and most likely play Valero and Masters,” he said. “I’m going to wait to commit to that (Valero) because there’s a few things that might change, but that’s kind of my schedule through the Masters. And I really haven’t looked at much past that and I haven’t really looked at Champions Tour schedule.

“I want to start playing on the regular Tour with a little bit less stress. I’ve been really hard on myself when I make some mistakes and I’ve got to kind of ease up and play a little bit more free and a little bit lighter. If I can do that, I think I can shoot some pretty good scores out there.”

Two days ago on Twitter, Lefty showed off the three copper helmets that he won for claiming those three Tour events. The Tucson Conquistadors, who run the event and previously ran the PGA Tour stop here, have continued the helmet tradition at the Cologuard Classic.

Mickelson says he’s like to add another to his collection.

“I’ve got three of them that are wanting a fourth, they want a nice even number. They want a foursome. They don’t like to go out as three, they’re always looking for a fourth, so that would be a nice fit.”

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Phil Mickelson on Tiger Woods: ‘We’re thankful he’s still with us’

Phil Mickelson was asked about Tiger Woods on Thursday at Omni Tucson National ahead of the PGA Tour Champions Cologuard Classic.

TUCSON, Ariz. — Like the rest of the golf world, Phil Mickelson says he’s grateful that Tiger Woods is still alive.

Mickelson finished his pro-am round on Thursday at the Omni Tucson National Golf Course ahead of the PGA Tour Champions Cologuard Classic and then met the media, with the first question being about Woods, who was injured in a single-car accident on Tuesday morning in Los Angeles.

“All the guys here understand and appreciate what he has meant to the game of golf and for us and the PGA Tour,” he said. “We all are very appreciative and supportive of what he’s done for us, but right now that’s so far from our minds.

“And I thought Rory McIlroy really said it well when he said that we’re just lucky and appreciative that his kids didn’t lose their father. We all are hoping and praying for a full and speedy recovery, but we’re also thankful, because that looked awful, and we’re thankful he’s still with us.”

Mickelson, who is seeking to become the first player to win his first three starts on PGA Tour Champions this week, was later asked about how his relationship with Woods changed over the years.

“We we were opponents. … You know, competing against each other for quite some time,” Mickelson said. “Then we started working together to try to get the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team events, to get our players to play our best, and then we became partners in developing a couple of matches. It’s been fun to be able to work with him. Again, I realize, just like all the guys here do, how much he’s meant to the game of golf and the growth and getting us off the back page and onto the front page. We’ve all benefited from him.

“It has really evolved from competing against each other to working with each other.”

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Phil Mickelson on Tiger Woods: ‘We’re thankful he’s still with us’

Phil Mickelson was asked about Tiger Woods on Thursday at Omni Tucson National ahead of the PGA Tour Champions Cologuard Classic.

TUCSON, Ariz. — Like the rest of the golf world, Phil Mickelson says he’s grateful that Tiger Woods is still alive.

Mickelson finished his pro-am round on Thursday at the Omni Tucson National Golf Course ahead of the PGA Tour Champions Cologuard Classic and then met the media, with the first question being about Woods, who was injured in a single-car accident on Tuesday morning in Los Angeles.

“All the guys here understand and appreciate what he has meant to the game of golf and for us and the PGA Tour,” he said. “We all are very appreciative and supportive of what he’s done for us, but right now that’s so far from our minds.

“And I thought Rory McIlroy really said it well when he said that we’re just lucky and appreciative that his kids didn’t lose their father. We all are hoping and praying for a full and speedy recovery, but we’re also thankful, because that looked awful, and we’re thankful he’s still with us.”

Mickelson, who is seeking to become the first player to win his first three starts on PGA Tour Champions this week, was later asked about how his relationship with Woods changed over the years.

“We were opponents. … You know, competing against each other for quite some time,” Mickelson said. “Then we started working together to try to get the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup team events, to get our players to play our best, and then we became partners in developing a couple of matches. It’s been fun to be able to work with him. Again, I realize, just like all the guys here do, how much he’s meant to the game of golf and the growth and getting us off the back page and onto the front page. We’ve all benefited from him.

“It has really evolved from competing against each other to working with each other.”

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Is Phil Mickelson ready to make PGA Tour Champions his full-time home?

Phil’s 44 career wins rank ninth all-time on Tour. He has won five majors, and has finished second in the U.S. Open six times.

When Phil Mickelson headed to California in January for his second year as official host of The American Express, he was asked the expected question: How does Mickelson, at age 50, decide whether to keep playing on the PGA Tour or start playing more on the PGA Tour Champions, where he won twice in two starts last year?

“If I don’t play well early on, I’ll start to re-evaluate things and maybe play a few more events on the Champions Tour because what’s fun for me is competing, getting in contention, and trying to win tournaments,” Mickelson said in January. “But I’ve made some strides in my game. I’m excited to start the year and see if I can play at the highest level like I expect to.”

Four weeks later, it sounds a bit like Mickelson has started to make some of those decisions, and the idea of playing a little more senior golf doesn’t seem to be so bad to Lefty.

Phil Mickelson tees off on the 13th hole of the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West during the first round of The American Express in La Quinta, Calif., on January 21, 2021.
Phil Mickelson tees off on the 13th hole of the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West during the first round of The American Express in La Quinta, Calif., on January 21, 2021.

Mickelson told Golfweek on Friday that his first PGA Tour Champions start of the year will be this coming week at the Cologuard Classic in Tucson, the second senior event of the calendar year. The start will come 30 years after Mickelson won the Tucson Open on the PGA Tour as an amateur.

What is interesting is the event is being played opposite the WGC Workday Championship at The Concession in Florida. Mickelson — a long-time spokesperson for Workday — has been a fixture in World Golf Championships since they debuted, but he is not eligible for the field this year.

So it will be three rounds of senior golf for Mickelson next week. But the decision isn’t that surprising if you look at Mickelson’s words from January. In the four tournaments since he spoke those words, Mickelson’s play has been anything but Mickelson-like.

Tough month for Lefty’s scores

Mickelson missed the cut at The American Express, failing to break par in either of his two rounds. The next week, he needed birdies on his final two holes in the second round to make the cut but finished just 53rd at the Farmers Insurance Open in San Diego.

In a start on the European Tour in Saudi Arabia, Mickelson played well the first two days but drifted back to 53rd by the end of the week. He then jetted to Pebble Beach for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, one of his favorite tournaments where he has won five times, as recently as 2019. But he missed the cut last week, including shooting an 80 in the second round.

Phil Mickelson, left, coaches soccer star Landon Donovan during the American Express Charity Challenge at PGA West in La Quinta Wednesday.
Phil Mickelson, left, coaches soccer star Landon Donovan during the American Express Charity Challenge at PGA West in La Quinta.

In all, since the start of the 2020-21 season, Mickelson has missed four cuts in eight starts on the PGA Tour and hasn’t finished better than 44th in the four events he has played the weekend. Mickelson said he would re-evaluate things if he didn’t play well early on, and he certainly hasn’t played well recently.

But all Champions? Not just yet

Still, none of this means that Mickelson is cutting ties with the PGA Tour anytime soon or that he will become a full-time senior golfer. That will never happen for Mickelson, who likes to test his game against the best in the world on a regular basis.

Besides, Mickelson is eligible in the next three months for The Players Championship, the Masters and the PGA Championship, and he’d never skip those events. And there is that hosting spot at The American Express every January.

It just means that Mickelson is more open to playing in PGA Tour Champions events than he was perhaps a year ago. It might also be behind talk in the last week that Mickelson is willing to discuss with networks about being a commentator rather than a full-time player.

Mickelson has nothing to prove to anyone in golf, really not even himself. His 44 career wins rank ninth all-time on Tour. He has won five majors, has finished second in the U.S. Open six times, and he did it all in the era of Tiger Woods.

Perhaps there is a win or two yet for Mickelson on the big Tour as a 50-year-old. Perhaps this is just a bad stretch of golf, something that Mickelson has faced before during his stellar career.

But at 50, with senior golf and television and surely a Ryder Cup captaincy in his future, Mickelson can still be active in golf without 20 starts on the regular Tour each year. Mickelson won’t disappear from the PGA Tour for years and years. But some senior golf with friends could certainly sound appealing.

Larry Bohannan is the golf writer for the Palm Springs Desert Sun, part of the USA Today Network. He can be reached at (760) 778-4633 or larry.bohannan@desertsun.com. Follow him on Facebook or on Twitter at @Larry_Bohannan.

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