Phil Mickelson stalls, needs big finish

CROMWELL, Conn. - There was a brilliant flop shot from left of the green to save par at the opening hole Saturday, then he nearly hit an opposite field home run over the fence at the 436-yard, par-4 third.

“We all have days where we’re just a fraction off,” said Phil Mickelson. “I felt like I had one of those days.”

From that turbulent start, Mickelson just never found any rhythm. He bogeyed that third hole and probably got a sense that guys were already blistering by him. He had started the third round at 13-under, leading the Travelers Championship by a stroke, and few players have converted 36-hole leads as successfully as him in recent years.

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But when he turned in 1-over 36 and sat at -12 under, Mickelson’s name wasn’t very prominent on the leaderboard. Dustin Johnson was out in 31, Brendon Todd in 30, Bryson DeChambeau in 33, Kevin Streelman in 31. On a day when the field average would be 68.544 and one day after he blistered TPC River Highlands in 63, Mickelson was struggling to make pars.

Yet, there always a silver lining – and not just because of the cool, reflection sunglasses he’s become accustomed to wearing. There’s always a silver lining because . . . well, it’s who he is.

Yes, he was off, “but I’m having a lot of fun,” said Mickelson after his 1-over 71 dropped him to 12-under, tied for seventh and six off the lead. “This has really been a lot of fun.”

Quizzical? Don’t be. There is always a method to his rationale.

“I haven’t played great this year (six missed cuts in 10 starts), the next thing I know, my game is starting to come back and I can sense it and then I play two great rounds (here).”

There would be a lone birdie on each side of a course that is yielding birdie by the bucketful, yet Mickelson was upbeat. He knows comeback victories are the norm here at the Travelers, and further, he is confident that his game is tending.

“I’m going to come out (Sunday) and give it my best to go low,” said Mickelson, a two-time winner here.