His PGA playoff run over, Phil Mickelson transitioning to make his Champions debut
As one era ends for Phil Mickelson, another one is set to begin.
The 50-year-old Mickelson announced that he would make his PGA Tour Champions debut at the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National on Monday after missing the cut at The Northern Trust Friday.
Despite shooting a second-round 3-under 68, Mickelson’s performance wasn’t enough after a 74 on Thursday.
“I’ve been playing well and I want to play,” Mickelson tweeted after his round. “I wish I was playing in Chicago next week but excited to play my first Champions event.”
It marks the end of a notable streak in both Mickelson’s and the PGA Tour’s history. Starting in 2007 at the inception of the FedEx Cup, the five-time major winner had been the only golfer to qualify for the BMW Championship every year through 2019.
Yet he entered the Northern Trust 67th in the FedEx Cup standings, and missing the cut on Friday means he will fall below the cutoff line of 70th.
Mickelson is a former winner at TPC Boston, emerging victorious at the 2007 Deutsche Bank Championship.
Phil Mickleson talked to PGA rules official Andrew Miller after he bent the shaft of his wedge hitting out of a hazard on the second hole of the Northern Trust at TPC Boston Friday. Mickleson was able to get a replacement wedge from his car and only missed one hole without his wedge
Tiger’s tale
After a first-round 68, Tiger Woods could only manage a 71 on Friday to remain at 3-under for the tournament and just above the cut line.
Woods birdied his first hole of the day, but was unable to capitalize on other opportunities as he had on Thursday.
” I just didn’t quite have it,” Woods said. “I was hitting the ball all over the place, and on a golf course that was certainly giving it up to most of the field. I made it really, really hard on myself.”
Notable cuts
While the top of the Northern Trust leaderboard found some astoundingly low scores, a few other recognizable names had a tougher time on Friday. As a result, there will be a few conspicuous absences this weekend.
Among those to not make the cut included Bryson DeChambeau, who won the last TPC Boston event in 2018 (then the Dell Technologies Championship). DeChambeau finished with an even 71 on both days, three strokes over the cut line of 139.
Collin Morikawa, the 2020 PGA Championship winner, bowed out after finishing with a second round 1-over 72. Morikawa, 23, began his PGA career with a remarkable streak of 22 consecutive made cuts, though it ended in July at the Travelers Championship.
One close call was three-time major champion Jordan Spieth, who narrowly missed out at 2-under, and whose bunker chip almost rolled in for eagle (and a place on Saturday) on the 18th hole.
Dahmen for dollars
Joel Dahmen
, who also missed the cut for this weekend at 2-under, had a humorous query for his social media audience following his round Friday.
“This might be a bad idea, but I’m going to throw it out there,” he tweeted. “I have the weekend off and I’m looking for a money game tomorrow. I’d prefer it be close to [the] Foxborough area. Want to play for enough money that it matters, but not enough to have to sell my house.”
Dahmen, 32, enjoyed the reactions he received, and said he’s headed to Thorny Lea Golf Club in Brockton.
“Thanks to everyone who reached out,” he said in a follow-up tweet. “This got way more action than I anticipated. I will be sure to do more of this going forward, although I prefer not missing cuts. I’ll update everyone tomorrow on the action.”
South Hadley’s Richy Werenski walks passes a sign explaining symptoms of COVID-19 during the second round of The Northern Trust at TPC Boston. He made the cut for the weekend.
Werenski, Bradley are in
Two of the three golfers with local connections will be playing this weekend.
Despite battling to a 1-under 70 on the day Friday, Worcester’s Scott Stallings finished at even, and below the cut line.
Richy Werenski, who grew up in South Hadley, shot a second-round 67 to put him at 6-under. Werenski won his first PGA Tour event at the Barracuda Championship in July.
Hopkinton High grad Keegan Bradley also finished his day with a 67, placing him at 7-under through the first two days of the tournament.
The virtual game
Since fans aren’t allowed at PGA Tour events because of COVID-19, efforts have been made to expand the virtual experience.
One new development is the recent launch of TOUR Pulse. An expanded form of the traditional leaderboard, it gives fans a real-time written description of each shot from any player in the field.
Another new feature is the PGA Tour AR Experience delivered by FedEx. The augmented reality program allows fans to scroll through each hole while also keeping an eye on the leaderboard, FedExCup standings, and other relevant stats.
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