{"id":7267,"date":"2020-06-27T21:39:14","date_gmt":"2020-06-27T21:39:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.betting.ca\/news\/?p=7267"},"modified":"2020-06-27T21:39:14","modified_gmt":"2020-06-27T21:39:14","slug":"phil-mickelson-jumps-into-first-at-the-travelers-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.betting.ca\/news\/phil-mickelson-jumps-into-first-at-the-travelers-championship","title":{"rendered":"Phil Mickelson Jumps into First at the Travelers Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Phil Mickelson takes a shot on the fairway during the Travelers Championship on Friday in Cromwell, Connecticut<\/p><\/div>Phil Mickelson recently turned 50 and if age is an indicator of what is to come, Mickelson is proving those in doubt he still has what it takes to get the job done. The five-time major champion took the lead at Travelers Championship after ending his round of Friday with a 7-under 63.<\/p>\n

Canada\u2019s Mackenzie Hughes had the lead after the first round but dropped down into the tie for second place with Will Gordon after shooting a 68. For Phil Mickelson<\/a>, he said it was wisdom that saw him going alone versus playing with his usual partners of Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy. Mickelson, who was the tournaments winning in 2001 and 2002 commented on his approached staying,<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s some holes I can open it up and try to hit driver, but really I just want to get it in play on a lot of holes and let my wedges take over, and I\u2019ve hit a lot of good wedge shots this week.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Friday also saw two other players withdrawing from the Travelers Championship<\/a> after one contracted, he coronavirus. This included Denny McCarthy, and Bud Cauley, who tested negative, but as a safety precaution opted to withdraw as he had played with McCarthy on Thursday.<\/p>\n

McCarthy, who had a 67 in the opening round said he first felt ill on Thursday night and opted to get tested on Friday morning. Commenting, McCarthy said,<\/p>\n

\u201cI woke up in the middle of the night with additional aches and soreness and sensed something was off. I felt like the only thing to do was get tested at that point before I went to the course.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Mickelson, who won his 44th PGA Tour title at Pebble Beach was is playing his 624th PGA career tournament has struggled since his last win,and has seen multiple cuts. However, on Friday he returned to form scoring a bogey on the second hole to advance in the leaderboard. It added eight birdies during the round and that was enough to put him in the lead.<\/p>\n

CBS Sports HQ<\/strong><\/p>\n