Host Phil Mickelson makes a 9, matches worst round at The American Express

It was anything but the expected round for tournament host Phil Mickelson on Thursday at The American Express.

Mickelson, who has won the tournament twice and finished second as recently as 2019, may have shot himself completely out of contention Thursday on a course that he dominated in the 2019 performance. That year, Mickelson shot a 12-under 60 in the first round at La Quinta Country Club.

Thursday, Mickelson did almost the exact opposite, struggling early on the way to a 6-over 78, leaving him tied for last in the 156-player field with Austin Cook, who played the tougher Stadium Course at PGA West. The 78 matched the worst round he’s shot in this event. He also shot 78 in the fifth round in 2007.

Not surprisingly, Mickelson declined to comment on his round after signing his scorecard and instead headed directly to the driving range.

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Mickelson’s game was never in rhythm Thursday, starting with a double-bogey 6 on the second hole where he had to hit a second tee shot after going out of bounds. But that was just the start for the reigning PGA Championship winner. On the par-4 eighth hole, Mickelson pumped two drives out of bounds, finally finding the fairway with his third tee shot. The result was a quintuple-bogey 9, pushing him to 6-over for the round.

He played the remaining 10 holes in even par, with one birdie, one eagle on the par-5 13th and three bogeys.

Mickelson moves to the Nicklaus Tournament Course at PGA West for Friday’s second round and will need to go low to give himself a chance to make the 54-hole cut. Since that second-place finish in 2019, Mickelson has missed the cut in the last two American Express events.