Phil Mickelson was between two banks and a difficult spot, but received great help from the Rules of Golf on Friday in the Traveler Championship.
Bound for the lead, with a second straight round, Lefty chose a long iron on the tight 17th tee of 433 yards at TPC River Highlands. He pushed the shot to the left, the ball bounced twice on the path of the cart and stopped at an uncomfortable point, exactly on the edge between the asphalt and the grass.
Mickelson wisely asked for a sentence and got a big break. Since the steep bank to the left of the cart path was part of a ground sprayed for repair, and the point where it should have struck from above which was not its closest relief, it should not have fallen on that side. If it weren’t for the GUR, he would have had an ugly hook-shaped lie from the often rough with water in front of the green. Frightening.
Of course, this is Phil, so he thought deeply about what his other options were.
“What I want to do is take some relief and leave it here,” Mickelson said to the masked official, pointing to the fingertip in the center of the cart path. Shocking for Phil, right ?!
But he was told he couldn’t because he was still part of the GUR. So he managed to fall across the path, but he also avoided a steep bank above a bunker that would have forced another hooked lie. Everyone settled down, chose an iron 9, pumped it on the green and twice the same.
Another Mickelson escape.
At 18, Lefty almost pulled out his approach shot for the eagle, made his fifth birdie on the back nine and closed a seven-under 63 round to keep the lead lead at 13 below.
In his first competition since he celebrated his 50th birthday last week, Mickelson opened a tournament with scores of 64 or better for the first time in his career.
.
