Coming off a disappointing 4-over par 75 Saturday at The Barclays, Phil Mickelson may be out of action for a while.
Mickelson’s poor finish left him in second-to-last place after three rounds, meaning he will miss the PGA Tour’s secondary cut to the low 70 and ties for the final round. Mickelson is contemplating skipping next week’s Deutsche Bank Championship in Boston, the five-time major champion told the Golf Channel.
“I don’t know,” Mickelson said, who may miss the second leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs to be with his family in San Diego as his three children start school. “I’ve got four or five days off here with the late start. We’ll see when I get back home. I’m frustrated with my game, but I love playing in Boston. I love the golf course.
“And I love Cherry Hills, too. We’ve got some great tournaments, but I’m not playing very inspired golf right now.”
Mickelson has endured one of his most frustrating seasons as a pro. His runner-up finish at the PGA Championship is his only top-10 of the year.
Nevertheless, Mickelson has a strong track record at the TPC of Boston, site of the Deutsche Bank, with a win in 2007 and two other top 10s.
Mickelson’s absence could hurt his chances of staying in the top 70 in the FedEx Cup standings and qualifying for the BMW Championship at Cherry Hills in Denver in two weeks. He is projected to fall from 45th to 58th in the standings after this week. Should enough players pass him in Boston, he could miss the BMW and end his streak of making it to the finals of the FedEx Cup playoffs every year since its 2007 inception.
If this is the last time to see Mickelson until the Ryder Cup, he did his best to entertain the early risers who caught a glimpse of his third round. After making the 36-hole cut on the number to earn a 7:45 a.m. tee time, he scurried around Ridgewood Country Club in 3 hours and 35 minutes, but the rapid pace of play didn’t help.
Mickelson’s odyssey included another errant drive and flop shot off the turf carpet in the stands on the fifth hole, a 289-yard par-4. This time Lefty knocked his recovery onto the green and made par. But fatigue set in on the back nine with Mickelson taking a triple-bogey 7 on the 14th hole after a chip rolled back to his feet.
After Mickelson drove into thick rough on the 18th, a fan bet he couldn’t make birdie. Always up for a challenge, Mickelson said a birdie would cost the spectator $5, but a bogey would net him $20. When Mickelson advanced his second shot just 76 yards along the left rough, he pulled out his wallet and tendered a $20.
With Tiger Woods out for the season, Rory McIlroy drew most of the early arriving gallery in the third round. McIlroy, fresh off three straight wins including back-to-back majors, birdied the first hole and two-putted for birdie after driving the green at the 289-yard fifth hole to move within three shots of the lead.
But the world No. 1 mustered just one more birdie and two bogeys the rest of the way, settling for a 1-under 70 that left him at 4-under par, five shots behind leaders Jim Furyk and Jason Day.
“I felt like I actually played well,” said McIlroy, who missed on eight birdie chances inside 20 feet. “I just didn’t get a putt to drop.’’
McIlroy said he plans to be more aggressive on the greens Sunday with the goal of getting to 10-under par. The lead currently is at 9-under.
“I’ve come from a lot behind before and every time I’m in this position,” he said. “I always think back to Quail Hollow in 2010 [where he shot a 62 to win]. It depends on what the leaders do this afternoon.”
Adam Scott, the No. 2 player in the world, figured to be the player to watch in the final pairing with Cameron Tringale. But Scott struggled off the tee and finished with a 4-over 75 to drop to 4-under par.
Henrik Stenson, the third-ranked player and defending FedEx Cup champion, was worse, shooting a 77. The Swede hit two balls out of bounds on the par 4 fourth hole en route to a 9. He is at even-par.