Mickelson a Study in Intrigue, Uncertainty

DORAL, Fla. -- Nobody does intrigue quite like Phil Mickelson.

On the golf course or off, the 37-time PGA Tour winner has a knack for turning simple things into head-scratching moments of d'oh.

Thursday's opening round of the World Golf Championship's CA Championship was a perfect example.

Mickelson, the defending tournament champion, did not arrive in Miami until Wednesday night, too late for a practice round. And then he showed up for opening-round play Thursday morning at Doral Resort carrying two drivers -- an old trick he has used before, one for high ball flight and one to hit low on a day that faced wind gusts of up to 35 mph.

"He asked me what I thought," said swing coach Butch Harmon. "I told him, you won the Masters using two drivers. It's OK with me. It's better than not using any at all.

"I won't tell you what he said back, but it started with an 'f'. "

Apparently, Phil remains a little sensitive over criticism received for playing the U.S. Open at lengthy Torrey Pines two years ago (and failing miserably) without the big stick.

In that case, he's probably not going to like the appraisal of Thursday's big adventure.

With two drivers, he hit a total of three fairways.

The result was a 1-under 71 that left Mickelson four shots back of South African Charl Schwartzel's bogey-free round of 5-under 67. Tied for second, one shot back, are Australian Robert Allenby, Fijian Vijay Singh and South Africa's Ernie Els.

Apparently, it also left Mickelson with a lot to think about. After completing the round, he spent almost 30 minutes sitting in the scorer's room before finally emerging.

"I got in late with the time change and stuff," Mickelson said. "I'm a little groggy. So, what's up?"

Besides Tiger?

A report in the New York Post Thursday said Tiger Woods is preparing to return to the PGA Tour play in two weeks for the Arnold Palmer Invitational. The newspaper quoted two unnamed sources saying the golfer had hired Ari Fleischer, a former aide to President George W. Bush and currently a sports public relations consultant, in anticipation of a March 25 return.

A few hours later, the Associated Press, citing two unnamed "people with knowledge of his plans," reported Woods intends to remain out of golf at least until the Masters in April.

"As soon as a statement comes out, I'll talk about it," Mickelson said. "But since it's not been confirmed, I'll hold off.

"I haven't been paying attention."

Mickelson, of course, has had some problems of his own.

Wednesday's late arrival to South Florida was the result of remaining home with wife, Amy, who continues a battle with breast cancer.

"She's doing good, thank you," Mickelson said.

But the report on Mickelson's game has not been nearly as positive.

During a time he was expected to fill the void created by Woods' prolonged absence, Mickelson has managed only a single top-10 finish.

After finishing last year with two tournament wins, including the Tour Championship, the result of a red-hot putter, this year has been a struggle on the greens.

"The key is his putter," Harmon said. "He seems to be more comfortable, but like everything else, he needs to see the ball go in the hole."

Mickelson made an eight-footer to save par on his second hole and a five-footer for birdie on his third. He sank a nine-footer for birdie on his 17th. For the day he had three birdies and two bogeys.

It's a step.

"I'm happy with 71," he said. "I know it's not in contention yet, but my goal was to shoot something as solid as I did today and improve on it each day. So I have to go lower each day."

That will be a must. The 68-player field are the top-ranked players in the world. Only Woods and 18-year-old Japanese sensation Ryo Ishikawa, who has his high school graduation this week, are eligible players who are missing.

"I'm ready to play," Mickelson said. "I know that although I didn't have the greatest start, I hit the ball very well on the West Coast. The key for me was putting and so when I did have time last week, I spent it on putting. I had the best putting day today that I've had all year.

"I ended up making some good putts, but also, the ones that I missed were catching the lip. It just tells me that it's back to where it needs to be."

Intriguing.