Monday 26 January 2015 14:53, UK
Phil Mickelson believes he had a “good week” at the Humana Challenge, but admitted he still has improvements to make after his first competitive appearance in four months.
Featuring for the first time since September’s Ryder Cup, the world No 16 carded five birdies on the back nine in a final round 68, leaving him 15-under for the tournament.
Mickelson has previously described the past 12 months as the "worst year of his career" after a winless campaign and a slide down the world rankings, but the American was happier with his start to 2015.
“It was a good week, but some of the fine-tuning needs to get a little bit sharper,” Mickelson admitted.
“I need to make more birdies, hit the ball closer to the hole and just be a little sharper on every shot so I don’t hit a loose one.
“I’m really excited about this upcoming year. I feel like I’m ready to go and ready to get started. We’ll see in the next two weeks if I can get that fine-tuning done and shoot the low scores I need.”
The two-time La Quinta champion finished tied-24th, joinining Patrick Reed in a group of six players left seven shots behind tournament winner Bill Haas.
Mickelson looked strong off the tee after spending the off-season working on his physical fitness, while also continuing to interchange between two different grips when putting.
“I just feel as though I’ve got two ways I feel comfortable putting," the 44-year-old added. "One is the claw and one is the regular grip.
“I tend to gravitate towards the claw at shorter putts and gravitate away from it to a regular grip at longer putts.
“I'm not sure if I’ll do it all year or not, but I like having something to go to if I feel it might get my putt to drop."
The former world No 2 now turns his attentions to next week's Waste Management Phoenix Open, where Tiger Woods is set to make his first appearance of the year.
