MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It was the most Phil Mickelson round in some time.
On Day 3 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, Lefty was 4 of 14 in fairways hit, 12 of 18 in greens in regulation and 5 of 6 in scrambling. It all added up to a third-round 68 that left Mickelson three shots back and tied for second place behind leader Daniel Berger.
For the second consecutive day, Mickelson signed his scorecard, spoke with the media, and raced to the range to work with swing coach Andrew Getson to sort out his swing issues prior to Sunday’s final round, not to mention next week’s U.S. Open.
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“I need to strike it like I did last week [at the Memorial],” Mickelson said. “My rhythm has been a little bit quick, the transition has been quick. I’ve managed it so far and I’ve been putting really well.”
Mickelson pulled into a share of the lead at 8 under with a birdie at the 16th hole, but he bogeyed the 17th hole after missing the fairway left and needed to convert an 18-footer from the fringe at the last for par to remain within a field goal of Berger.
“I know it’s about to click,” said Mickelson, who was tied with D.A. Points and Steve Stricker at 7 under par. “Hopefully I’ll find it for tomorrow’s round because it’s only going to take a few more fairways hit and a few more birdie opportunities the way I’m putting to try to get this done.”
