Pebble Beach Pro-Am: Phil Mickelson proud of 'stallion' driving
Friday 7 February 2020 17:46, UK
Phil Mickelson was delighted with another strong performance off the tee after getting within four strokes of the early lead at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
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The defending champion birdied his final three holes at Spyglass Hill, one of three courses used at the event, to post an opening-round 68 and stay in touch with early pacesetter Nick Taylor.
Mickelson arrived in California off the back of a tied-third finish at the Saudi International last week, his best performance in a year, with the 49-year-old encouraged to carry on his recently regained form.
"I drove it like a stallion and hit almost every fairway," Mickelson said. "When you're doing that you can get aggressive and get after it.
"The fact that I didn't take advantage of those opportunities was disappointing, but I feel like I'll be able to continue driving it like that and if I do, I'll get my iron play fixed and roll in some more birdies.
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"I let a lot of shots slide throughout the middle of the round. I was very tentative with my pace because the greens were pretty quick and I just wasn't quite aggressive enough on the greens, but I shot a four-under-par round and it's not going to hurt me."
Taylor birdied his last two holes to close a blemish-free 63 at Monterey Peninsula and open up a two-shot lead, with Patrick Cantlay in a share of second following an opening-round 66 at Spyglass Hill.
"I played really well," Cantlay said. "I drove the ball well and had a lot of short irons coming into the greens. All in all, played really well, made some putts and I'm really happy with the start.
"I feel confident and comfortable with the game. I really like it around here. I've played the tournament a few times so coming back to golf courses is easier than seeing them for the first time and I like it here, so it's all good."
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Watch the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am throughout the week live on Sky Sports. Live coverage continues on Friday with Featured Groups from 4pm on Sky Sports Golf.
