Phil Mickelson’s
Round 2 lead at
2015 Shell Houston Open
While Phil Mickelson conducted a press conference after a nice and tidy round of golf had provided him with the clubhouse lead in the Shell Houston Open — he’d taken only 67 swings, five fewer than par for the
Golf Club of Houston course — some strange things were happening behind his back, well out of earshot.
The questions being thrown at Mickelson came with the unstated presumption that he’d be the guy to catch on the weekend. That was going to be good for everyone, the ideal scenario. His stature in the game, with his five major titles, three green jackets and 42
PGA Tour victories, is such that people pay a lot more attention when he’s out front, especially with the
Masters on deck.
But it wasn’t to be.
First, PGA Tour rookie
Andrew Putnam caught, then passed Mickelson, posting the day’s first best score, a 65, by birdieing six of his last nine holes on the course’s defenseless front side. Then
Austin Cook, a survivor of the Monday “four-spotter” playing in the final threesome before they unleashed the lawnmowers.
Cook also came in with a 65 to land a spot in Saturday’s imminently desirable last group.
Putnam, Mickelson and Cook go off at noon. Collectively, they will have five major titles, three green jackets and 42 PGA Tour victories. Only Mickelson, the
2011 SHO champion, had previously made the cut in
Houston. This was
Cook’s first try. Putnam got summarily lopped off a year ago, in his big-boy tour debut, putting up a 75 and a 72.
When he visited the press room, plopping down in the same cat-bird’s seat occupied by Mickelson
45 minutes earlier, the 26-year-old former
Pepperdine University golfer from
Spokane, Wash., tried to act nonchalant, fooling nobody.
“
Solo lead
. . . that’s pretty cool,” Putnam said, noting that he’d shared the lead on day in
Las Vegas tournament last fall.
He admitted he hadn’t seen what happened coming.
A 30 for nine holes? Are you kidding?
“I haven’t been playing good or scoring well,” Putnam said. “Both have been bad. But (I’m) doing both well this week.”
Indeed. At 132, he’s 12-under for the tournament.
Next come Mickelson and Cook, both a stroke ahead of
Graham DeLaet and
Luke Guthrie.
The Canadian DeLaet, who was himself the leader of the pack for several holes, put up a second consecutive 67. Guthrie shot 68 on the heels of a first-round 67.
Cook’s take on what he’d pulled out of the proverbial hat was more effusive than
Putnam’s assessment.
“It was unbelievable,” Cook said. “It was great. I’m really, really comfortable with my swing and my game right now and it’s kind of showing.”
Six players are in the next group at 135, including 21-year-old
Justin Spieth, a career-high fourth in the
World Golf Rankings. Mickelson’s august presence notwithstanding, it’s Spieth who looms as the real player to watch over the next 48 hours. Coming in off a tournament victory and a runner-up finish in his last two starts, the sweet-stroking 21-year-old from
Dallas shot 66, three strokes better than he had on Friday.
But for one errant drive on No. 17, Mickelson could have kept a share of the lead. That goof-up ended up costing him a bogey, cancelling out the shot he’d gained by draining a 25-foot birdie putt that got him to 12-under two holes earlier.
“I just blocked it a little bit, not a very good swing,” Mickelson said. “I certainly let that one get away. But
I’ve driven it very well this week . . . hit a lot of fairways. My short game has been sharp, too. I’ve hit some good pitches. The putter feels a lot better, but it’s felt better for a while. I’m excited about this weekend.”
Mickelson predicted the remaining 36 holes will be “a shootout . . . The golf course is in great shape, as always.
It’s a fun tournament and it’s fun to have put myself in a (good) position to have a chance. That’s an important thing for me heading into next week, to get into contention, to feel the pressure. Because the pressure that you feel trying to win the Masters is greater than just about anything we have.”
Something Andrew Putman and Austin Cook wouldn’t understand. Yet anyway.
- published: 04 Apr 2015
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