Phil Mickelson shakes off elbow concern at PGA Championship
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Phil Mickelson's birdie putt on No. 9 at PGA Championship
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – Phil Mickelson sent a scare throughout his huge throng of fans at Bethpage Black when he grabbed at his elbow late in his opening round of the PGA Championship.
Mickelson had just tried to muscle a shot out of the thick rough on the 18th hole when he clutched at his right elbow and begun rubbing it with concern.
He managed to get up and down from a greenside bunker to post a 1-under 69, leaving him inside the top-10, but six shots off Brooks Koepka’s lead at the venue he’s finished runner up at twice before in major championships.
Afterward the 44-time PGA TOUR winner claimed the pain was there but it dissipated fast.
“It feels fine now. I kind of jarred my right elbow,” Mickelson explained.
“Just jarred it out of the rough. That happens with stuff that thick, but hopefully it just goes away, which it kind of did.”
Mickelson’s chances seemed to be fading early on with back-to-back bogeys on the seventh and eighth holes but three birdies in his next four rescued the round.
“The first eight holes I let a few shots slide, and then the last ten I picked up quite a few shots. All in all, it was a good day,” he said. “Going out tomorrow, I feel like I'm playing well. I feel good about my game, and I feel like I'm playing well enough to shoot a low round out there. I feel like I can shoot something in the mid 60s, whether it's tomorrow or the weekend.”