   
| Mickelson goes on the offensive, captures share of the lead  PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- On a windswept, worrisome opening day that found many playing defense at THE PLAYERS Championship, Phil Mickelson went on the offensive and was rewarded with a share of the lead.  Phil Mickelson is working to eliminates his misses off the tee. (Chris Condon/PGA TOUR/WireImage)
Birdies on his first two holes gave Mickelson the comfort zone he needed. After rolling in those putts -- one from 19 feet and the other from a mere 6 inches -- he made four more birdies and just one bogey on the way to a 67 that left him tied with South Africa's Rory Sabbatini. "It allowed me to not force birdies or press," Mickelson explained. "I was able to play for par on some of the tougher holes and take advantage of some of the birdie holes where the pin was more susceptible. I think the start was important." Mickelson had played 44 rounds in 13 previous PLAYERS and he had only shot lower than Thursday's 5-under 67 three times. His best finish at the TPC Sawgrass is a tie for third in 2004, one of just two top-10s here for the man ranked No. 3 in the world. Mickelson came to Ponte Vedra Beach playing well, though. He posted his second straight tie for third on Sunday at the Wachovia Championship, as the keys he's pursuing in his new alliance with swing guru Butch Harmon begin to take hold. "He's a great storyteller -- that's probably the biggest thing," Mickelson said. "There's always a point to the stories, you know, whether they're about his dad or other players. I find that very interesting. It's a fun way to learn." Mickelson is nothing if not thorough in his preparation -- sometimes playing eight to 10 hour practice rounds prior to major championships. But he says right now he and Harmon are working to eliminate the "misses" off the tee rather than talking course management. "The biggest thing I'm noticing that's taking adjustment is that I'm not curving the ball as much right-to-left or left-to-right," Mickelson said. "I'm used to aiming outside the right edge of the fairway, and I'm having to aim inside the fairway line. "It's uncomfortable for me because I feel like I'm going to slice it across the fairway. The ball is not having as much sidespin. It seems to be a much straighter flight." Mickelson actually didn't hit a lot of fairways on Thursday -- five to be exact, and just one on the front nine -- but the gusty conditions bore more than a bit of the blame. He hit 12 of 16 greens and took just 27 putts, as well. "I felt very good today," Mickelson said. "I hit a lot of good shots in some strong winds and was able to keep the ball in control, and my misses were very small and that allowed me to take a lot of the big trouble out of play that I had found in the past." Mickelson is a fan of the renovation of THE PLAYERS Stadium Course, particularly the shaved areas around the greens that offer such a variety of shot options. Mickelson may be trying to tame his driver but his short game is second to none. "People are chipping with hybrids, chipping with lob wedges, chipping with 4- and 6-irons, and a lot of them are putting it, as well," Mickelson said. "It really incorporates all different shots, a huge variety of them, whereas in the past it was thick, heavy rough that you were just chipping the ball out of. "I think in the years to come, the scores be will not nearly as low because the greens will pick up some pace and they'll start breaking like they normally do. Because the speed is a little bit slower than in the past, putts aren't breaking as much and we're able to be more aggressive on the 5- and 6-footers that have given us fits over the years." Copyright 2007 PGATOUR.com. All rights reserved. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
