Mickelson: Over par score could win

Phil Mickelson predicted the winning total at Winged Foot would be over par after his opening round in the 106th US Open.

Mickelson, seeking his third straight major victory after the 2005 USPGA and 2006 US Masters, carded a level-par 70 to lie one shot off the pace set by Colin Montgomerie.

Montgomerie’s 69 was the only round under par in the first half of the field and Mickelson admitted: “Yeah, even par is a good score, you just try to play for par here, whether it’s Thursday or Sunday.

“I happen to think over par is going to win it because I suspect the course will play harder and faster as the week wears on, making the greens tougher to hit to, to chip to and to putt on.

“I was very pleased with even par, I would have taken it from the start. With the wind it was very tough but I thought this was the fairest set-up that we’ve played – the graduated rough gave you a chance.”

Mickelson, who celebrates his 36th birthday tomorrow, is gunning for the third leg of what has been dubbed the “Mickelslam”, but revealed he escaped the spotlight by practising at nearby Baltusrol on Wednesday, scene of his USPGA victory last August.

“I had a couple of nice quiet days this week,” added the world number two. “I took Monday off and played Baltusrol on Wednesday. I feel like I’ve had the same type of preparation I have for other tournaments without as much hype or expectation.”

Mickelson’s round was matched by 2003 champion Jim Furyk, who was forced to miss last week’s Barclays Classic after injuring his back brushing his teeth!

Furyk explained: “I was hunched over a sink after brushing my teeth and in kind of a bad posture. I tossed my head back in a quick motion and it seems I probably pinched something in my upper back and made it real difficult to turn my head to the left.

“I got a lot of treatment on Tuesday and Wednesday and started to feel better, and by the weekend I was feeling pretty darn good and confident I would play.”