Six weeks removed from the second of two offseason hernia procedures, Phil Mickelson always believed he’d return to 100 percent health in time for the Waste Management Phoenix Open, this week’s stop on the PGA Tour. He’s spent the last two weeks giving his golf game a head start.
“My game came around quicker than I thought it would,” Mickelson said after finishing tied for 14th in the Farmers Insurance Open, his second top-25 finish in as many weeks. “I felt the best place to sharpen it and to see where I was at was to play last week and this week. I’m really glad I did because my touch is starting to come around a little bit.
“The sensitivity to shot-making, chipping, putting on Tour-caliber greens and rough and things you can’t replicate at your home course is getting sharper because I did play these past two weeks.”
Mickelson definitely seemed to have it going as he closed his final round, bagging birdies over his final two holes to finish 2-under for the day and 7-under for the tournament for his best showing here since a runner-up effort in 2011.
His stamina is even coming around as he continues a run of five straight events to open his season.
“I think by next week I’ll be 100 percent would be my guess based on what I’m able to do in the gym,” Mickelson said. “Currently, I’m probably 75, 80 percent of where I was before and it’s slowly coming back.”
Perez misses out
Another year ed without Pat Perez winning the “fifth major,” as he calls his hometown tournament, but the Torrey Pines High grad did get a top-5 finish here for the second time in four years.
“I know what it takes to win here; I just haven’t been able to do it yet,” said Perez, who made three birdies after an early bogey but tied for fourth place, four shots back of winner Jon Rahm after a 2-under 70. “I haven’t hit the great shots coming down the last six holes to do it.
“Every year I play it’s going to be the same thing,” he said, referring to the importance of this tournament. “It’s not going to change. You know, maybe one day.”
If Perez cares to look back at the tournament, he’ll have no trouble pinpointing where it went wrong: the sixth hole.
He made double bogeys there the first two days (one on each course) and another bogey Saturday.
He also failed to birdie any of the par-5 holes Sunday.
One consolation for Perez was that Rahm is a fellow Arizona State alumnus.
“Jon’s a great kid, a great guy,” he said. “I’m happy for him. ASU guy. I got to know him over the last three, four years, so I’m happy for him.”
More locals
Former SDSU golfer J.J. Spaun actually came closer to winning than Perez — at least for 71 holes. Spaun was briefly tied for the lead after a birdie at 17 and trailed by only one going to 18. But he had to lay up on the last hole after missing the fairway, and his third shot spun off the green and into the pond.
He took a double bogey on the hole and finished with a 70 and a four-round total of 8 under, tied for ninth.
Spaun declined to answer questions after his round.
The two other San Diego-area products who made the cut, Charley Hoffman (76) and Michael Kim (71), tied for 54th place at 288.
Again a bridesmaid
Charles Howell III birdied the 18th for a 10-under finish that left him in a tie for second with rookie C.T. Pan, his third runner-up finish in 15 starts at Torrey Pines. He also finished second in 2005 and 2007 before a 64-foot eagle putt on the 13th thrust him toward the top of the leaderboard.
Howell’s last win on tour came at the 2007 Genesis Open at Riviera Country Club.
“You know, this golf course, it’s tough,” Howell said. “As jam-packed as that leaderboard was, with the players that were up there like (Brandt) Snedeker and (Justin) Rose, I thought they would separate themselves early and they didn’t.
“It left a little bit of a window for players like myself to shoot a good one and have a chance.”
Can’t convert
Third-round co-leaders Patrick Rodgers and Snedeker failed to make a move in the final round, finishing four and five shots, respectively, behind Rahm.
Rodgers tied for fourth with an even-par 72 while Snedeker settled for a ninth-place tie after a 1-over 73.
Rodgers, 24, was playing in the final group for the first time while aiming for his first PGA Tour win.
“I felt really comfortable,” he said. “I just was sloppy today and didn’t play my best golf, unfortunately. I still felt like I had a great chance with five to go and Jon just made an incredible run there to finish the event. … He put the pressure on us to make a bunch of birdies coming in and it’s hard to do.”
Snedeker was bidding to become just the fourth back-to-back winner in tournament history.
“I didn’t hit it very good,” Snedeker said. “I did a great job of hanging in there all day and trying to give myself chances. For whatever reasons, the putts didn’t want to go in. I think I had four lipouts (Saturday) and three (Sunday). That’s just the way it goes. You’ve got to try to overcome that and fight that and I didn’t do a good job today of doing that.”
Perfect conditions
Sunshine, temperatures in the mid-70s and greens still soft from early-week rains made conditions just right to do some scoring on the South.
And that’s exactly what happened.
The scoring average in the final round was 71.767, marking the first time Sunday scores were under 72 since the South renovation 16 years ago.
Notable
- Rahm became the sixth player on tour in his 20s to win this season. At 22 years, 2 months and 19 days, he is the youngest among them.
- Rahm is the second Spaniard, ing Jose Maria Olazabal (2002), and fourth international-born player, with Olazabal, South African Gary Player (1963) and Australian Jason Day (2015) to win the Farmers.
- Justin Rose had never been in the top 20 in seven previous Farmers appearances before finishing tied for fourth this year with a final-round 70.
- Perhaps Rose’s championship hopes were dashed when he led after the first round (65, North). No first-round leader/co-leader has won the Farmers since Mickelson in 2000.
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