Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson carded a 1-under 70 on Thursday for his best opening round at the Open Championship since 2016.

The 55-year-old World Golf Hall of Famer sparked his vintage performance by holing out for par from a bunker on the third hole, finishing his round at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland with three birdies and two bogeys.

“Yeah, that was a crazy one,” Mickelson said of his effort at the par-3 third hole, where his tee shot found the greenside bunker and his first attempt to get out failed. His third shot landed right of the flagstick and spun into the hole.

“It was really one of maybe two poor shots I hit, I felt,” he said. “That bunker shot that buried in the lip, and then to make it, it was obviously a lot of luck. It was crazy. I was just trying to save bogey, and I got lucky and it went in.”

Mickelson won his lone Open Championship in 2013 at Muirfield in Scotland to go with three Masters wins and two triumphs at the PGA Championship, including a turn-back-the-clock victory in 2021.

“I think winning The Open in 2013 was the greatest accomplishment in my career because I had to learn a style of golf that I didn’t grow up playing,” Mickelson said. “Now I’ve come to really love it, enjoy it, and I seem to play well in some of the adverse conditions.”

Mickelson played in an early group with South Africa’s Daniel van Tonder and Australia’s Ryan Peake and managed to dodge the worst of the weather conditions on Thursday.

“We had a pretty good break before the rain came in,” he said. “It came in just the last couple holes. Our group had a pretty good break, I thought.”

Now competing with LIV Golf, Mickelson missed the cut at each of this year’s first three majors. He tied for 60th at the Open last year at Royal Troon, making the cut for the first time since 2018. His Open resume dates back to 1991 and also includes runner-up finishes in 2016 and 2011 and a third-place run in 2004.

“I played really well, and I had an opportunity,” he said. “Like I really enjoy playing these conditions and playing this tournament. It’s just a lot of fun.”

–Field Level Media