No letdown expected
LOS ANGELES — Phil Mickelson is known to get on hot streaks. The question is how long one can last.
Even though Mickelson thought his game was close, not many had reason to believe it until Sunday at Pebble Beach. Starting the final round six shots out of the lead — and playing in the same group with Tiger Woods — Mickelson fired an 8-under 64 to win by two shots. It was the best round by three shots, more than seven shots better than the field average and 11 shots better than Woods.
So when asked about the potential of a letdown at the Northern Trust Open, Lefty had none of it.
“I feel like I had such a fun week that I want to try and have that again,” he said Wednesday before heading out for a pro-am round in the rain at Riviera. “I don’t feel like there’s a letdown. I feel like there’s an excitement and a new energy to get back in that position. I mean, I love having a chance to win.
“I feel like I’m playing well, and that if I play my game and focus hard, I should be able to get in contention and have that excitement.”
He won’t have Woods around to help with that focus.
Even so, the field at the Northern Trust Open is strong again. It features the No. 1 player in the world with Luke Donald, a pair of Australians from the top 10 in Adam Scott and Jason Day, and Dustin Johnson.
Twelve of the top 20 in the world will tee it up Thursday in what figures to be a week of sunshine and wind.
Mickelson is a two-time champion at Riviera, the fabled course off Sunset Boulevard that he has come to love. It’s one of the more bizarre commutes, as Mickelson flies in his private jet each day from north of San Diego.
One of the more noted runs by Mickelson came in 2005. He took the lead in the second round of the Phoenix Open with a career-best 60, the start of 10 straight rounds in stroke play in which he was atop the leaderboard — wins in Phoenix and Pebble Beach, and the lead going into the final round at Doral, when he had a memorable showdown with Woods.
Woods wound up winning that day, and Mickelson effectively disappeared the rest of the year until, out of nowhere, he won the PGA Championship at Baltusrol.
Some thought such an energy-draining final round at Doral took all the momentum away from Mickelson.
“It’s possible,” Mickelson said. “But it’s also possible that’s just the way I play. I get on hot streaks, and I play to win, and I’m going to go for it. I’m going to try to make birdies. I’m going to play aggressive. And when I’m playing well, I make birdies and end up either in contention or winning.
