ORLANDO — The scene was a rare one: Phil Mickelson packing away his golf clubs in the back of his SUV on a Friday, readying to head to the airport and fly home.
This was Mickelson’s plight after he followed a sloppy 73 in his opening round with an unsightly second-round 79 to miss cut at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill.
“Obviously, I played terrible and I deserve to shoot a score like this,’’ Mickelson said of his 8-over-par finish.
The 79 was the highest score Mickelson has shot in 48 career rounds at this tournament. It marked just the 19th time in 1,640 career PGA Tour rounds he shot a round of 79 or higher. The last time Mickelson shot 79 was at last year’s opening round of the Memorial last year, when he withdrew because of “mental fatigue.’’
Mickelson, who is disillusioned by his game at the moment, did his best to paint a positive picture, saying, “I’m glad I played because had I showed up in Houston and had this happen I wouldn’t have had an opportunity to get in the competition.’’
The Shell Houston Open, which is in two weeks, is Mickelson’s final tuneup tournament for next month’s Masters.
Mickelson said his poor play at Bay Hill doesn’t concern him about how he’ll play at the Masters because “this course is totally different’’ from Augusta.
“But,’’ he said, “I need to hit better shots. I need to get my own game where it needs to be to be competitive. It is a little surprising because just a couple months ago I was hitting it really well.
“I’ve got a ways to go. A little time with Butch (Harmon, his coach) and I think it will click pretty quickly, but it feels a lot further off than I think it is. I’ll go work with Butch (Harmon, his coach) and see if I can get dialed in for Houston (in two weeks).’’
There was much to choose from indentifying the low point in Mickelson’s round, which included three 7s on his card. But the worst moment had to be his five-putt triple bogey on No. 13.
Part of Mickelson’s discomfort stems from a change in the PGA Tour schedule, which this year does not have the Houston tournament the week before the Masters. The Valero Texas Open in San Antonio is the week before Augusta.
Mickelson, who prefers to play for the competition the week before a major, likes the Houston event because the golf course is set up similar to Augusta with the shaved-down areas around the greens and serves as a good warm-up _ something the San Antonio course does not offer. So Mickelson, who will play Houston, will not play the week before the Masters.
“For me personally, I like playing in a tournament that’s similar to what we’ll be playing (in a major),’’ Mickelson said. “This year, having a windy, tight course (San Antonio) really isn’t conducive to getting ready for Augusta. That makes it difficult for me personally so I’ll end up going to Augusta a few days early.
“I’ve got to make some adjustments just because the tournaments before the majors are not helping us at all get ready. I find when I take a week off, I come out and play like I did (this week) _ just mentally not sharp.
“The more I play, the sharper I get and usually the second or third tournament is when I play my best. That’s why I like to have a tournament before a major because a major’s penalty for a miss is so severe you’ve got to be sharp on each shot right from the gate.”