Mickelson back to earth at Firestone with work to do

Mickelson back to earth at Firestone with work to do

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Mark Lamport-Stokes July 30, 2013

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Phil Mickelson of the U.S. (L) holds the Claret Jug as he celebrates with his wife Amy after winning …


By Mark Lamport-Stokes

AKRON, Ohio (Reuters) - Having been on cloud nine since winning his fifth major crown at the British Open nine days ago, Phil Mickelson is ready to resume his challenge for more golf titles at this week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

By his own admission, the American world number two is playing some of the best golf of his life and is eager to take full advantage with several high-profile tournaments on his schedule over the next two months.

"We've got the big event here, a World Golf Championships (WGC) event, we've got the PGA (Championship) next week, and our FedExCup (playoffs)," Mickelson said atFirestone Country Club on Tuesday while preparing for Thursday's opening round of the Bridgestone Invitational.

"So it's a lot of golf left. Right now I'm playing as well as I ever have and want to make sure I stay focused this week and next week because there's an opportunity to add to this year and make this year every bit as special as it can be.

Mickelson won his second PGA Tour title of the year by a commanding three shots in the British Open at Muirfield, separating himself from the field with a stunning final round of five-under-par 66 despite difficult scoring conditions.

FIRST SUCCESS

It was his first success in the year's third major, having recorded only two top-10s in his previous 19 appearances at the event, and he has since barely kept his hands off the coveted Claret Jug.

"It's been really a fun time," the American left-hander told reporters. "I'm just excited every day that I've got the Claret Jug and I get to look at it every day. It's here with me. It's not like I'm going to leave it.


"I'll have some of my friends throughout these next couple of weeks be able to drink out it. To give friends of mine an opportunity to drink out of the Claret Jug and have a picture of it, that's a cool experience that not many people get to do."

Mickelson was delighted to be back in golf mode, his previous nine days having been a whirlwind of victory celebrations, media commitments, travel and a visit to Oak Hill Country Club, venue for next week's PGA Championship.

"Last week I had a lot of other things going on that didn't allow me to practice until Saturday," he said.

"I went up to Oak Hill and wasn't really able to work on my game yesterday as much as I was developing strategy and getting ready and prepared for next week's major, next week's PGA.

"Starting today was the first day that I was able to really work on my game and work on my touch, work on shot-making and so forth. It was not far off. I hit a lot of good shots today. I'm playing really well."

A 42-time winner on the PGA Tour, Mickelson was impressed with the condition of Oak Hill for the August 8-11 PGA Championship though he was surprised by the severity of the rough.

"It's in immaculate shape, it's really pristine," he said. "It's difficult, as you can imagine, like any major championship.

"It's as thick a rough as I've seen in a long time - long, dense, thick, heavy rough - it's very much like a U.S. Open. It will have a premium on getting the ball in play off the tee."

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Gene Cherry)

Snedeker aims for first WGC win at Firestone

Snedeker aims for first WGC win at Firestone

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Mark Lamport-Stokes July 30, 2013

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Brandt Snedeker of the U.S. reacts after he hits from the rough from to the twelfth green on his way …


By Mark Lamport-Stokes

AKRON, Ohio (Reuters) - Brandt Snedeker has yet to win one of the elite World Golf Championships (WGC) titles but the in-form American goes into this week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational firmly installed among the favorites.

Snedeker joined Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Matt Kuchar as the only players with multiple PGA Tour wins this season with his victory at the Canadian Open on Sunday, and he is close to the spectacular form he displayed at the start of this year.

In his first five tournaments of 2013, Snedeker recorded four top-threes, including a two-shot triumph at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, before he was sidelined for five weeks because of a sore rib cage.

"It feels like two completely different years for me," the fast-talking, ever-smiling American told reporters while preparing for Thursday's opening round at the lush, tree-lined Firestone Country Club.

"First part of the year, I couldn't do anything wrong. I was playing fantastic, and I got injured.

"I've been fighting to get myself back to the way I was at the beginning of the year. I'm not saying I'm there, but I'm close."

Long regarded as one of the best putters in the game, Snedeker sealed victory by three strokes at the Canadian Open to earn his sixth career title on the circuit.

"It feels great to get a win, to validate all the hard work I've put in over the past three months where I haven't played my best and know that I'm working on the right stuff," the 32-year-old said.

"Now I get to try and do it all over again (this week)."

Snedeker faces several other in-form players in the 73-man field at Firestone, among them British Open champion Mickelson and Woods, who has won a season-high four times on the 2013 PGA Tour.


'BEST GOLF'

Left-hander Mickelson, who has not competed since clinching his fifth major title in the British Open at Muirfield nine days ago, believes he is playing some of the best golf of his life.

"Right now I'm playing as well as I ever have and want to make sure I stay focused this week and next week," the American world number two said on Tuesday, referring also to next week's PGA Championship, the season's final major.

"I want to make sure I give myself every chance to play well because I've been playing some of my best golf the last few months, as you've seen and as the results have shown."

Woods is always among the pre-tournament favorites heading into the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, having won the elite WGC event a record seven times.

"This is one of my favorite courses," said the world number one and 14-times major champion, who has recorded a staggering 11 top-10s finishes in 13 appearances at the tournament.

"There is nothing tricky about it; everything is right in front of you. And the fans do a great job of supporting the event. It's a golf course I like, and I've had a little bit of success on it."

Fellow American Keegan Bradley will be defending the title he claimed by one shot last year after closing with a superb six-under-par 64.

"It's a really special place for me and I'm excited to come back," said Bradley, who has yet to win on the 2013 PGA Tour despite piling up six top-10s in 19 starts. "The course is perfect for me. You must drive the ball well there.

"If you don't, you're not going to be able to score. It's a course that I've felt comfortable on the last two years, one that I feel like every time I play that I should have a decent shot to win the tournament. "

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Gene Cherry)

Cup concern for Price over injured Oosthuizen

Cup concern for Price over injured Oosthuizen

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Mark Lamport-Stokes July 30, 2013

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Louis Oosthuizen of South Africa watches his tee shot on the sixth hole during the first round of the …


By Mark Lamport-Stokes

AKRON, Ohio (Reuters) - The decision by former British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen to take two months off golf to heal assorted injuries has given International captain Nick Price "concern" ahead of the October 3-6 Presidents Cup.

South African Oosthuizen, who lies second in the International points standings, does not expect to return to action until the European Tour's Sep. 26-29 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in Scotland.

"I spoke to him about four or five days ago, and he's not going to play until the Dunhill, which is the week before thePresidents Cup," Price told reporters at Firestone Country Club on Tuesday ahead of this week's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.

"So we really won't know if he's match-fit or not until the week before, and being one of the top four or five players that I have on the team, it's a concern.


"But I said to him, 'just get healthy first.' That's the most important thing. I don't really want him to injure himself further."

Oosthuizen withdrew from the British Open at Muirfield halfway through his opening round earlier this month with a recurrence of a neck-related injury.

It was the third time this year he had been forced out of a tournament with the injury, having also quit the Byron Nelson Championship in May and the U.S. Open in June.

"He has a hip flexor problem, and anything in the torso in the golf swing, as many of you know, can be very painful," said Zimbawbean Price, a three-times major winner.

"But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. He's going to keep me posted on his progress, and he's gone back to South Africa to rest up."

Oosthuizen, who won his only major title at the 2010 British Open, will be missing an array of big events packed into the latter part of the PGA Tour, notably this week's Bridgestone Invitational and the August 8-11 PGA Championship.

The Presidents Cup is a biennial competition which pits a 12-man team from the United States against a line-up of international players from outside Europe.

It will be staged this year for a 10th time, with Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio the host venue for a first time.

(Editing by Greg Stutchbury)