A left-hander is leading the Cologuard Classic, and it isn’t Phil Mickelson.
Canadian Mike Weir, a PGA Tour Champions rookie and winner of the 2003 Masters, shot a 7-under-par 66 Friday to claim the first-round lead at Omni Tucson National Resort.
Weir sank seven birdies and did not make a bogey. He is seeking his first Champions Tour win and his first professional victory of any sort since 2007. That came on the PGA Tour at the Fry’s Electronics Open. Fry’s went out of business earlier this week.
In his first year on the 50-and-over circuit, Weir has learned how critical it is to get off to a hot start. Most events, including the Cologuard Classic, are three rounds.
“I know how good these guys are out here,” Weir said. “The standard of play is so high. I kind of knew that going in, but until you experience it ...
“My first bunch of events out here, I didn’t really get off to good starts. And if you don’t get off to a good start, you’re playing catchup. You might have a good finish, but you really don’t have a chance to win.”
This is Weir’s 12th start on the PGA Tour Champions. His best finish came at last year’s Dominion Energy Charity Classic, where he finished second behind Mickelson.
That was Mickelson’s second victory in as many starts on the Champions Tour. No player has won his first three starts on the tour. Mickelson has some work to do to make it happen, but he’s within striking range.
Mickelson shot a 3-under 70, placing him in a tie for ninth. He was disappointed with his scoring after putting himself in close range on several holes but failing to make birdies.
“I had a lot of short L-wedge shots. I had four or five of them. Not only did I not make a birdie, I played them 1 over, so I’ve got to fix that tomorrow,” said Mickelson, who made six birdies but bogeyed No. 11 and double-bogeyed No. 13.
“It’s terrible scoring. Although the greens are firm and it’s challenging, you’ve got to be able to hit those shots closer and make some birdies, and I just didn’t hit it close enough. Then I three-putted one of them. I didn’t take advantage of a lot of scoring opportunities.”
Mickelson led the field in average driving distance (324 yards) and in greens hit in regulation (17 of 18, 94.44%), but he ranked 43rd in putting average (1.765 putts per GIR).
Ernie Els hits his ball out of the sand along the 10th hole fairway in the first round of the Cologuard Classic Golf Tournament at Omni Tucson National Resort in Tucson, Ariz., on February 26, 2021.
The former Arizona State star played with University of Arizona rival Jim Furyk and Fred Couples. Furyk, like Mickelson making his Cologuard Classic debut, shot a 1-under 72 and is tied for 28th. Couples shot a 2-under 71 and is tied for 14th.
Scott Verplank shot a 6-under 67 and has sole possession of second place. He never expected to be in that position after barely playing for the past three months.
Verplank, who has battled injuries for much of his career, spent some of that time rehabbing from surgery on his left shoulder. Wintry weather in Verplank’s hometown of Edmond, Oklahoma, also limited his playing opportunities. His practice sessions were so uninspiring that he wasn’t sure he’d play this week.
“Monday I was in Scottsdale hitting balls, and I was like, ‘I’m not even sure I should go,’” said Verplank, who is seeking his first PGA Tour Champions victory. “Yesterday on the range, before the pro-am, I started hitting some solid shots, and I went, ‘OK, maybe I’ve got a chance.’ So that’s how it goes.”
Weir didn’t have outsize expectations either. He played in the first Champions Tour event of 2021, the Mitsubishi Electric Championship at Hualalai, where he finished in a tie for seventh. But he hadn’t hit a shot outside for about a month until he came here, spending much of that time skiing near his home base of Sandy, Utah.
Fred Couples watches his ball land on the second-hole green. Couples, playing in a group with former Arizona State star Phil Mickelson and University of Arizona alum Jim Furyk, ended the day with a 2-under 71 and was tied for 14th.
“I was just trying to find my game,” Weir said. “It’s good to have confidence, but sometimes things don’t pan out well. A perfect example is in Hawaii. In the pro-am, I shot 59. I had big expectations, and I shoot 71 (in the first round). Felt like about an 85.”
Weir had no such issues Friday. He was sharp in just about every aspect, especially his iron play. Weir hit greens in regulation at an 83.33% clip and left himself short putts on several holes. One example: the 183-yard, par-3 16th. Weir hit a 6-iron that came to rest a foot from the hole.
“You have to keep the pedal down. You have to keep playing well,” Weir said. “This is a quirky golf course. You have to play smart. There’s little subtleties out here that you really have to pay attention to. Hopefully, I keep my wits about me.”
Weir knows how quickly and severely things can change. He was ranked in the top 10 in the world in 2003 and ’04 and remained in the top 50 through ’09. A decade’s worth of struggles followed, with Weir at one point falling to 2,074 in the World Golf Ranking.
Although he wants to win himself — and vowed he would “go low” in one of the next two rounds — Mickelson is pulling for his fellow lefty.
“It’s good to see him back out playing well, because he had a little bit of a downturn for a few years,” Mickelson said. “I know he’s excited, motivated and working hard. When you have results like that, it’s very encouraging.”
Chip shots
- Paul Goydos, Jeff Sluman and Kevin Sutherland are tied for third place after carding 5-under 68s. Steve Stricker, the 2018 Cologuard Classic champion, is among three players tied for sixth at 4-under 69.
- Stricker bogeyed the par-4 18th hole, and he wasn’t alone. Per usual, the 18th hole played the toughest, producing 27 bogeys, nine double-bogeys and four triple-bogeys. The hole yielded only three birdies and played to an average of score of .679 strokes over par.
- Defending champion Bernhard Langer hit all 14 fairways but made only two birdies and shot a 2-under 71.
- Fifty tickets went on sale Friday afternoon for each of the final two rounds. For more information, visit CologuardClassic.com.
