SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Phil Mickelson made a mess of his final hole in the second round of the Phoenix Open, costing him another shot at history.
A day after his putt for a 59 curled 180 degrees and stay out, Lefty missed a chance to break the PGA Tour’s 36-hole scoring record Friday when he finished with a double bogey.
“You always remember kind of the last hole, the last putt," Mickelson said. “But I think it’s very possible that’s going to help me because it’s got me refocused, that I cannot ease up on a single shot. I’ve got to be really focused. These guys are going to make a lot of birdies and I’ve got to get after it and cannot make those kinds of mistakes."
Mickelson followed his opening 60 with a 65 to reach 17-under 125, a stroke off the tour record for the first two rounds of a tournament set by Pat Perez in the 2009 Bob Hope Classic and matched by David Toms at Colonial in 2011.
“Unfortunately, I made a double on the last hole and didn’t finish the way I wanted to," Mickelson said. “But I think it’s a good example of what can happen on this course. You can make a lot of birdies and eagles, make up a lot of ground, but there’s a lot of water and trouble there that if you misstep you can easily make bogeys and double."
The double bogey left him four strokes ahead of Bill Haas and five in front of Keegan Bradley and Brandt Snedeker. Haas shot a 64, Bradley 63, and Snedeker 66.
Also on Friday:
Sterne leads by 1 in Dubai
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Overnight leader Richard Sterne made a birdie on the 18th hole to take a one-shot lead over Thor- bjorn Olesen and two others after the second round of the Dubai Desert Classic. Sterne finished with a 2-under 70 and 12-under 132 total. Olesen (66), Tommy Fleetwood (68) and Stephen Gallacher (70) were a shot back.
