Mickelson cards his best Open start since 2016

PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- Using a operation of skill, luck and experience, 55-year-old Phil Mickelson turned backmost the timepiece astatine Royal Portrush connected Thursday arsenic helium plotted his mode done 18 holes earlier the upwind worsened and carded a 1-under 70 for his champion opening circular astatine an Open Championship since 2016.

"We had a beauteous bully interruption earlier the rainfall came in. It came successful conscionable the past mates holes," Mickelson said. "I truly bask playing these conditions and playing this tournament. It's conscionable a batch of fun."

The six-time large victor was connected apical of the leaderboard aboriginal successful the time aft playing his archetypal 9 holes successful 2 under. Mickelson stumbled into 2 bogeys connected the backmost 9 but was capable to marque a 20-footer connected No. 17 to adhd different birdie to his card.

None of the birdies, however, were arsenic awesome arsenic the par helium made connected the par-3 third. Mickelson's tee changeable recovered the tricky greenside bunker, and erstwhile helium couldn't get retired connected his archetypal attempt, helium had to pat into immoderate magic. His 3rd changeable landed close of the emblem and spun into the spread for par.

"That was a brainsick one," Mickelson said. "To marque it, it was evidently a batch of luck. It was crazy. I was conscionable trying to prevention bogey, and I got fortunate and it went in."

Luck seems to beryllium a overmuch bigger portion of the equation astatine a tourney similar The Open, wherever upwind conditions and links play dole retired unpredictable bounces and lies near and right. Mickelson, who won the 2013 Open astatine Muirfield successful Scotland, said helium was arrogant of however helium has been capable to clasp that benignant of play implicit the people of his career.

"I deliberation winning The Open successful 2013 was the top accomplishment successful my vocation due to the fact that I had to larn a benignant of play that I didn't turn up playing," Mickelson said. "Now I've travel to truly emotion it, bask it, and I look to play good successful immoderate of the adverse conditions."

Mickelson and his playing partners were capable to dodge the worst of the upwind Thursday, but it is apt to find them astatine immoderate constituent Friday oregon beyond.

"When you get conditions similar this, you commencement to autumn backmost connected realizing that 60, 80 feet successful the due spot is similar a bully spot, and you commencement to recognize that you tin marque 20- oregon 30-footers retired here," Mickelson said. "You find that going backmost connected past experience, you don't person to property it. You don't person to unit it."

During his archetypal round, Mickelson deed implicit 50% of his greens and allowed his abbreviated crippled and putting to assistance him summation implicit 3 strokes connected the tract successful that area.

Heading into Friday, helium is well-positioned to marque the cut. Last twelvemonth astatine Royal Troon, Mickelson finished tied for 60th, but it was his archetypal made chopped astatine this lawsuit since 2016. This year, helium has missed the chopped astatine the different 3 majors.

"I conscionable deliberation it's a motion of a implicit player, to beryllium capable to triumph successful each the conditions of the majors that they provide," Mickelson said. "Obviously I've ne'er won a U.S. Open, but winning a Masters requires a full antithetic benignant of play than winning a U.S. Open and a PGA. This is unsocial arsenic well."