Phil Mickelson off to a slow start at the HP Byron Nelson Championship - Golf News
Phil Mickelson once again failed to make a quick start, as he carded an equal-par 70 in the opening round of the HP Byron Nelson Championship to tie for the 56th position on Thursday, May 17, 2012.
There was not anything in his round that could be highlighted except the opportunities for birdies he missed at the TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas.
In total, he succeeded in recording two birdies against two bogeys that took him back in the clubhouse with disappointment on his face.
“It's not that I am tired. I have not been able to get the score that I feel I should be getting,” the four-time major winner said. “I'm frustrated that I'm letting shots slide here or there and not capitalizing on some birdie opportunities. The course is
in great shape. We had a perfect day. There was no wind. You couldn't ask for a better day”.
“There are some low scores out there and plenty of birdies,” he added. “I didn't take advantage of it. I had countless opportunities to roll some in and didn't take advantage of them”.
According to Mickelson, putting was the major culprit of his below–par performance on the first day.
On the last three holes of the day, he received back-to-back chances of recording some really good birdie putts.
However, he failed to capitalise on them and settled for an even-par score in the end, as he three-putted the last hole for a bogey.
In the meantime, Ryan Palmer surged to the top of the leaderboard with the help of a great display of game on the course.
Palmer carded a total of six birdies in a bogey-free round that helped him take a one-stroke lead over Marc Leishman and Alex Cejka.
Scott Piercy, Charley Hoffman, Bill Lunde, Blake Adams, Matt Kuchar, Dicky Pride and Andres Gonzales were all further a stroke behind to share the fourth spot.
In the meantime, the defending champion Keegan Bradley recorded a three-under par 67. He mixed five birdies and an amazing eagle with four bogeys to tie for the 11th position on the leaderboard.
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