McIlroy Trails Mickelson 63

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Rory McIlroy was left frustrated after a topsy-turvy one-under-par 70 after the defending champion signed for six birdies and five bogeys.

"The mistakes are coming from missing it in the wrong spots," he said.

"It's a bit mental but I still made six birdies, so not that much is wrong, (but) it's the worst it could have been."

Graeme McDowell is two shots further back on one over par.

Up ahead it was Phil Mickelson who took a share of the lead on the opening day of the Deutsche Bank Championship after a sublime eight-under-par 63 - yet it could have been even better for the reigning Open champion.

Mickelson, fourth in the FedEx Cup standings, was well on course to card a magical 59 after starting his round on the back nine with seven birdies to reach the turn on 28.

Yet the front nine posed a different proposition for the left-hander, who found the bunker at the first for his only bogey of the round before bouncing back with an eagle on the next after landing his second shot to two feet from the pin.

However, a run of pars followed before the American finished his round birdie-bogey at TPC in Boston to share the lead with England's Brian Davis.

"I still felt I could have shot three or four under (on the finishing nine)," Mickelson told the PGA Tourwebsite. "I wasn't too worried about shooting 59."

Mickelson, who also opened with a round of 60 at the Waste ManagementPhoenix Open earlier this year, was satisfied with his round, however.

"I putted really well. There were a couple that didn't go that had every bit as good a chance to go as the ones that did and that's the sign that you're putting well," he added.

"There was only one putt the entire I should have made; the par putt on one that didn't go in and the other ones were really good."

Davis, 80th in the FedEx Cup and needing a good week to qualify for the BMW Championship for the fifth time in his career, joined Mickelson at the top of the leaderboard after an unblemished round.

The 39-year-old catapulted up the standings with five birdies in seven holes before finishing with back-to-back birdies to move to eight under, one shot ahead of Kevin Stadler, who made eight birdies and a solitary bogey on the 12th in his round of 64.

World number one Tiger Woods and Barclays winner and Masters champion Adam Scott were in the same playing group as Mickelson although they failed to take inspiration from the 43-year-old.

Woods, who on Thursday told reporters his back problem is not as bad as first feared, struck a 68 although Scott was well off the pace and is tied for 87th following a two-over-par round.

American pair Hunter Mahan and Roberto Castro, and Sergio Garcia were on six under par, while Englishmen Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter were among 16 players on shot further back.

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McIlroy Relaxes and Lefty Panics

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Phil Mickelson had opted not to practise at Oak Hill on Wednesday but was forced to make an unscheduled visit to the course, wearing shorts and flip flops, after forgetting to officially register for the event.

The Open champion would have been disqualified if he had failed to sign in, as 2003 US PGA runner-up Chad Campbell was in the Deutsche Bank Championship in 2010. Campbell had even played his first round before the mistake was discovered.

Mickelson was among the later starters for Thursday and had been paired, as is traditional, with the other two majors winners of 2013, Masters champion Adam Scott and US Open winner Justin Rose.

Defending champion Rory McIlroy was due off at 1:25pm local time, 20 minutes ahead of Mickelson, while world number one Tiger Woods was off at 8:35am alongside 2011 winner Keegan Bradley and former Ryder Cup captain Davis Love.

Mickelson was not alone in having an eventful week so far, David Lynn’s hire car breaking down after he put the wrong type of petrol in on the way back from a visit to Niagara Falls.

Lynn, a surprise runner-up to McIlroy 12 months ago at Kiawah Island, found the car did not take kindly to the cheaper grade of fuel he opted for and was forced to leave it at a service station around 40 miles from Rochester.

McIlroy won by eight shots 12 months ago but is rated a 33/1 shot to retain his title after registering just one top-three finish so far in 2013 and labelling his own play at the Open last month as “brain dead.”

However, the 24-year-old has been watching videos of his victory at Kiawah to gain inspiration and is a fan of the course set up at Oak Hill.

“I love how they have set the golf course up with the graduated rough. I think it’s a great idea,” he said. “You’re not penalised too much if you hit a shot just off line.

“I think they have set the golf course up fantastically well. It’s not an overly-long golf course, but you have to be really precise. You’ve got to hit fairways to give yourself chances going into the greens.

“I love PGA Championship golf courses because they set the golf course up so well. They are not looking to protect par. They are not bothered about people making birdies. There’s going to be opportunities to make birdies out there, but it’s obviously a very stern test of golf.”

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Mickelson Adds Fifth Major

Phil Mickelson produced a storming finish to win his first Open Championship by three shots as Lee Westwood suffered more major heartbreak.

The left-hander broke free of a bunched field with four birdies in the last six holes to post a closing 66 - the joint best round of the week - and a winning total of three-under.

In landing his fifth major title - to add to his three Masters (2004, 2006 and 2010) and one PGA Championship (2005) - he also became the latest storied winner of the Claret Jug at Muirfield, joining a list of champions which includes Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Gary Player and Nick Faldo.

Westwood, who started the day with a two-shot lead as he went in search of a first major title, led by three strokes after a birdie at five. But he couldn't keep pace with Mickelson down the stretch and a closing 75 meant he had to settle for a tie for third with Adam Scott (72) and the fast-finishing Ian Poulter (67).

Swede Henrik Stenson was runner-up after a third one-under 70 of the week.

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Mickelson was five shots behind Westwood when he teed off and appeared set for the minor places when he bogeyed the 10th to slip back to one-over.

But he birdied 13 and 14 to get into red figures and found himself in a tie for the lead when Masters champion Scott bogeyed 13.

Prior to that, it looked as if the Australian would atone for last year's late slip at Royal Lytham as he surged into the lead with a run of four birdies in five holes from the seventh to hit two-under.

But as Scott fell away with four bogeys in a row, Mickelson seized his moment.

The left-hander, who won last week's Scottish Open at Castle Stuart, smashed two shots onto the green at 17 and two-putted for birdie to extend his lead to two.

And after an excellent drive and approach at 18 he curled in a 12 foot birdie putt to post the clubhouse target of three-under which he knew was almost certain not to be beaten.

Westwood, on even par, still had a chance but needed to play the final three holes in three-under to force a play-off.

Bridesmaid

It proved too much. The Englishman, so often the bridesmaid in majors, bogeyed the 16th and then added two pars for a closing four-over 75.

Tiger Woods' hopes of a 15th major and first since 2008 hit the buffers early with three bogeys in the first six holes and it was damage he could never repair.

He eventually finished tied for sixth with fellow American Zach Johnson and Japanese youngster Hideki Matsuyama.

Poulter emerged from the pack after an amazing run of eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie from the ninth. That vaulted him to even par with genuine hope of victory but he played the last five in one-over to finish at +1."Hopefully it's enough to get into a play-off," was Poulter's assessment after signing for a four-under 67.

Stenson dropped out of a share of the lead after missing a 14ft par putt at the 12th and then failed to get up and down from a greenside bunker at the 13th.

Scott went out in front on his own on two under with a six-foot birdie putt at the 11th, where Woods recorded a second successive bogey to drop to three over.

Phil Mickelson, who had gone under the radar for most of the afternoon, birdied the 13th and 14th to move to one under.

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Maybin Shares Fifth at Scottish Open

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Gareth Maybin kick started his season at Castle Stuart this weekend with a share of fifth place after a final round of one under par at the Scottish Open. 

Three birdies were the reward for the day but with shots dropped at the e9th and fourteen Maybin ended the day on -14 and a valuable cheque for 124,860 Euro.

Paul McGinley finished in 24th with Shane Lowry unable to build on his opening round of 66 to end the weekend sharing 31st place.

Damien McGrane signed for a 75 on Sunday and dropped seven places to end the final day five under par and 42nd on the leader board.

Simon Thornton, Darren Clarke, Peter Lawrie, Padraig  Harrington and David Higgins all failed to make the cut.

Phil Mickelson went from agony to ecstasy to win the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open after a play-off with Branden Grace.

Needing just a par five at the last to secure victory in regulation play, the American uncharacteristically took three from the edge of the green.

That meant extra holes with South African Grace, who was already in the clubhouse on 17 under at that stage.

But on the first trip back down the 18th, Mickelson produced a stunning wedge to within a few inches of the cup and Grace could not match his birdie.

"This is really cool," said Mickelson, who claimed his first individual victory in Britain just four days before the start of The Open Championship at Muirfield.

"I have been coming here for some time and had some opportunities and I almost let it slip away today. To come out on top was terrific.

"I was so mad at myself for mentally losing my focus that I came out on that 18th pretty focused to make a four."

Mickelson began his round with a double bogey six on the first after topping his second shot and three-putting, but birdied four of his next five holes and also picked up three more shots at the start of the back nine.

A birdie on the 14th gave him the lead for the first time and three straight pars, including an excellent save on the 17th, had seemingly secured the €579,080 first prize.

However, the four-time Major winner's closing bogey meant a round of 69 to match that of Grace in the group ahead and a second Scottish Open play-off, the left-hander having lost out to France's Gregory Havret at Loch Lomond in 2007.

Overnight leader Henrik Stenson and Denmark's JB Hansen shared third place on 15 under, Hansen having threatened to pull off one of the most remarkable victories ever seen.

The 22 year old began the final round just two shots off the lead but his chances of a maiden European Tour title looked to have disappeared with a quadruple-bogey nine on the par five second.

However, Hansen bounced back with five birdies in succession, picked up another shot on the ninth to be out in 34 and when he birdied the tenth as well was suddenly in the outright lead.

The Challenge Tour graduate also got back into a share of the lead after Stenson had overhauled him with birdies on the tenth and 11th, only to drop three shots in his last four holes.

A place in The Open was on offer to the winner of the tournament if not already exempt, but with Mickelson taking the title first reserve Scott Stallings gets the Muirfield berth.

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