Phil Mickelson rounds into form, sprints up leaderboard at Pebble Beach

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – On Thursday, Phil Mickelson called himself an idiot.

But on Friday, he was a genius. For the most part.

Sung Kang, on the other hand, was brilliant all day.

Mickelson sprinted up the leaderboard in the second round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am with an electrifying front nine en route to a 6-under-par 65 at sun-kissed Monterey Peninsula’s Shore Course, the easiest of the three courses in play in the event.

But as is often the case with Phil being Phil, one was left to wonder what could have been. Teasing spectators with a flawless 5-under 29 on his front nine and an eagle from 40 feet on the 10th, Mickelson was 7 under and with a blistering back nine would have a chance to shoot 59 for the first time in 530 career PGA Tour starts. But he stumbled with a bogey on the par-5 12th, then finished with a bogey on the last hole to come home in 65.

“I thought I was going to shoot a lot lower than I did,” Mickelson said. “ … I didn't expect to play 1 over coming in. But I'm not going to complain, because I made a lot of good putts on the front.”

Shortly after he signed his scorecard, Mickelson got overshadowed by Kang, a young pro from Korea who shot 60 on the Shore Course to establish the course and tournament record.

Kang, 28, who has Mike “Fluff” Cowan on his bag as his regular boss, Jim Furyk, recovers from wrist surgery, had missed his last three cuts and posted a 2015-16 wraparound season low round of 68. But with nine birdies and an eagle, he is atop the leaderboard at 11 under with Hiroshi Iwata, one stroke ahead of Mickelson.

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Kang is paired with Ray Romano and is having a blast with him and Cowan. He said he’d been putting too much pressure on himself so he just came to Pebble Beach to have some fun and not think about the results. In fact, he didn’t even know he shot his career-low round of 60, thinking par was 72.

“If I hit a bad shot, I know my family will still love me. I know no one will hate me,” Kang said. “I’m just here to have fun with Ray and Mike.”

There will be plenty of fun to go around Saturday at Pebble Beach, when a celebrity bash breaks out in full force. Brilliant or not, Mickelson is the best entertainment in golf so he’ll attract as many eyeballs as anyone among the likes of Bill Murray, Justin Timberlake, Mark Wahlberg, Wayne Gretzky and Aaron Rodgers, as well as fellow colleagues Jordan Spieth, Dustin Johnson and Bubba Watson.

Only Mark O’Meara with his five titles has won more along 17-Mile Drive than Mickelson. After not playing the event last year for the first time since 1997 – his children had two different spring breaks so he passed on playing Pebble and L.A. – the Pebble Beach winner in 1998, 2005, 2007 and 2012 is ecstatic to be back on comfortable turf.

And Mickelson finally might have his equipment figured out. He called himself an idiot for switching out drivers for Thursday’s first round, using a newer Callaway model to lower the spin rate. The old one was back in the bag on Friday. Trouble was, a new 3-wood was still in the bag, and that cost him on tee shots on 12 (bogey) and 18 (bogey). So the new 3-wood will be replaced with the old 3-wood come Saturday.

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“I tried a new 3-wood this week trying to take some spin off it, yet again, and it just has a tendency to hook,” Mickelson said. “And it cost me … The only fairways I missed were with 3-wood, and it looks like I'm going to go back to my old 3-wood, too.”

The old feeling he gets in these parts has returned, too. He loves the vibe here, energized by hanging out with titans of industry, sports stars and celebrities, while playing on three courses with some of the best views in golf.

And his swing is spot on, the work in the offseason with new coach Andrew Getson finally delivering consistent results. Mickelson, 45, hasn’t won since the 2013 British Open. But he was third in the CareerBuilder Challenge and rebounded after a missed cut in the Farmers Insurance Open with a tie for 11th last week in the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

“It's pretty much there,” he said of the swing. “The last piece is mentally performing under the clutch. But I'm very pleased with the way I'm striking the ball, the way I’m chipping, putting, all that stuff, the way it's coming together.

“ … So I expect to have a good weekend.”

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