2021 Wells Fargo Championship: Phil Mickelson Turns Back Clock Thursday
By Tim Letcher
Phil Mickelson turned back the clock on Thursday at the 2021 Wells Fargo Championship. And in doing so, he finds himself in the hunt on the PGA Tour for the first time in a while.
Mickelson started his day at Quail Hollow on the back nine and he got the good vibes going early. Playing the par-5 10th hole, Mickelson drove it in the fairway and his his second shot just short of the green. He chipped on and made his putt for birdie to get into red figures.
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He quickly gave that shot back on the par-4 11th hole. He hit his second shot over the green and was unable to get up-and-down, suffering a bogey to drop back to even par.
Lefty would par the 12th and 13th holes before catching fire in the later part of his first nine. Mickelson would birdie the par-4 14th hole after nearly driving the green. He would birdie the par-5 15th hole, getting up-and-down from a greenside bunker. He then birdied the par-4 15th hole for three birdies in a row. He was 3-under at that point.
Mickelson would par the 17th before closing his first nine with a birdie on the 18th hole. He would finish his first nine with a 4-under par 32.
Lefty would carry the momentum over to his second nine.
He opened his back side with a birdie on the par-4 first hole. But from there, Mickelson would par five holes in a row to stay at 5-under par.
Mickelson mounted a late rally in his round, one that eventually gave him the lead. On the par-5 seventh hole, he would get up-and-down from left of the green to make a birdie. Then on the par-4 eighth hole, Lefty stuck his approach shot about five feet from the hole and made his birdie putt.
Next. 2021 Wells Fargo Championship: Top 10 power rankings at Quail Hollow. dark
Lefty would finish his round with a par on the ninth hole, leaving him with a 7-under par 64. Mickelson leads the field by two shots after 18 holes.
Mickelson, who is now 50 years old, has not won on the PGA Tour in over two years. His last win came at Pebble Beach in February of 2019. Frankly, he hasn’t been close to winning in quite a while. But he’s off to a very good start this week in Charlotte.