The left wrist was wrapped tightly, a constant reminder of the injury that has hampered Phil Mickelson since Memorial Day weekend.
But if there are any lingering concerns about his status before today’s AT&T National, Mickelson kept them just as tightly wrapped after Wednesday morning’s Earl Woods Memorial Pro-Am at Congressional Country Club.
“It’s okay. Not quite 100 [percent], but it’ll be all right,” was as detailed as Mickelson got on his health during a post-round news conference.
But after shooting a two-under-par 68, it seems the two-week respite from tournament play has Mickelson in a better frame of mind than at last month’s U.S. Open, where that inflamed wrist contributed to him missing the cut at a major for the first time in eight years.
“I’mgoing to be leery all year,” said Mickelson, responding to a question about his confidence hitting out of Congressional’s thick rough. “It’s not like I’m ever going to be confident and going aggressively at it. But I think it will be okay [this week].”
Mickelson’s balky wrist forced him to withdraw from the Memorial Tournament after the first round and he also missed scheduled appearances at the St. Jude Championship in Memphis and the Traveler’s Championship in Cromwell, Conn. last month. He added the AT&T National to his schedule in part to prepare for the British Open at historic Carnoustie on July 19.
“I’ve played the last six, seven days, probably, and have been able to play reasonably well and not have to worry about being injured,” said Mickelson, who visited with new swing coach Butch Harmon last Saturday. “So I wanted to get back out there and this is a great place to do it.”
The injury has put a crimp in what had been a promising season for Mickelson. He won the AT&T National Pro-Am at Pebble Beach in February and then took the prestigious The Players Championship at Saw Grass in May. In between, he had a second-place finish at the Nissan Open and a pair of third-place showings at the Byron Nelson Championship and the Wachovia Championship. Mickelson hopes to regain that form beginning today, his first appearance in Washington, D.C.-area tournament since the 2005 Booz Allen Classic.
“With the purse increase, playing on a great venue and the way Tiger has incorporated the community and the military, I think this can be one of the elite events,” Mickelson said. “It looks like it’s starting already.”
