It didn't take long for Phil Mickelson to earn his first PGA Tour victory of the young 2013 season. Just 7 days after Tiger Woods claimed victory at the Farmers Insurance Open, Mickelson went wire-to-wire to earn his 41st PGA Tour career victory.
Mickelson created a buzz on Thursday when he shot a 60 after narrowly missing his putt on the final home for a 59 (video above). After the heartbreaking miss, "Lefty" went on to shoot 64-65-67, while holding off a charge from Brandt Snedeker. Snedeker was the runner-up the previous week at the Farmers Insurance Open. He did it again as Mickelson shot 28-under the par, good enough for a four stroke victory over Snedeker who was 24-under.
Mickelson's Numbers
Mickelson's 41st win was done by dominating the field. He came up just shy of the coveted 59 in round one and missed the 36 and 54 hole PGA Tour scoring records by just one stroke. His 28-under, 256, was the second lowest score ever in a PGA Tour event. It's the third time Mickelson has won this event.
Mickelson's scorecard for the week included:
- 29 Birdies
- 1 Eagle
- 1 Bogey
- 1 Double Bogey
- 40 Pars
Mickelson made four consecutive birdies twice during the tournament and three consecutive birdies two more times. It also marks the 20th PGA Tour season where Phil Mickelson has earned a victory.
The Stage Is Set for a Great 2013
The focus of the 2013 PGA Tour season was on Tiger Woods v. Rory McIlroy. Tiger and Phil Mickelson now have PGA Tour victories early in 2013. Rory, has not played a PGA Tour event in 2013.
The PGA Tour heads to Pebble Beach for the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am where Phil Mickelson won in 2012. If Mickelson can successfully defend his title it will be the first time he has earned back-to-back victories since 2006 when he won the BellSouth Classic and seven days later was crowned Masters champion.
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