British Open 2016 Phil Mickelson takes control in

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British Open 2016 Phil Mickelson takes control in

Phil Mickelson came le s than a centimeter from becoming the first player to shoot a 62 in a major Thursday at Royal Troon.Friday could bring a different lead story from the British Open. Forecasts call for rain, windy and a difficult day to score on the second day of competition in Scotland.MORE: | | Play is scheduled to resume about 6:30 a.m. local time (1:30 Eastern time) on Friday. Royal Troon, a links-style course, was playing a little easy early on Thursday with the winds down and the greens holding approach shots. Chances are, things won't be the same in Round 2.Mickelson had eight birdies and no bogeys through his first 17 holes. Rene Robert Jersey He was left with a 20-foot putt for birdie on 18 to shoot 62, but the ball took a late, hard right break and skimming around the hole.Instead, Mickelson settled for the 28th round of 63 in a major golf championship. And that round gave him a three-shot lead after 18 holes."I felt like it was kind of easy," Mickelson told the Golf Channel. "I didn't try to do too much. We had the most amazing weather. I haven't seen it like that in the 11 days I've been over here and I took advantage of the conditions."All these highlights and I feel like crying."Patrick Reed (Getty Images)American Patrick Reed jumped to an early lead with a 5-under 66. He had a 5-under 31 on the front nine with an eagle on the par-4 third hole and three birdies."Early on in the round, I Mikko Rantanen Jersey felt like the wind was there, but that stretch of 10 through 14 was the hardest point of the wind," Reed told media members. "But it started to die down after that and I was able to make some scores."Germany's Martin Kaymer a two-time major champion joined Reed at 5 under with a bogey-free 66. Kaymer had four top-10 finishes in his past five starts on the European Tour.Americans Steve Stricker, Justin Thomas, Tony Finau, Zach Johnson, Keegan Bradley and Billy Horschel shot 4-under 67s in Round 1. They were joined by Denmark's Soren Kjeldsen and England's Andy Sullivan.Thomas was the first to post a low score after he birdied his first four holes. A little-known 23-year-old, he was the surprise player of the day. Carl Soderberg Jersey Despite a double-bogey on the par-4 15th, Thomas didn't flinch. He birdied 13 and 18 to even it out.John Daly is wearing pineapple pants at the British Open For The Win (@ForTheWin) Horschel played his last 14 holes in 5 under after a troublesome start. He was pleased with his round, but he understands tougher conditions are coming."For me, mentality wise in a major, you want to get off to a good start Semyon Varlamov Jersey ," Horschel said. "I saw some low scores early and I knew I needed to get off to a good start, especially because I looked at the weather forecast and saw that the next three day could get a little nasty."Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy stayed close to the leaders with 2-under 69s. McIlroy made it to 4 under but double-bogeyed the par-4 13th hole after a bad second shot. He backed it up with a bogey on 14. He birdied 15 to get back to 2 under. His putting must improve."I would have taken anything in the 60s today," McIlroy said. "I knew you had to make your low scores on the front nine. I thought I hit some good shots on the back nine, but it was nice to get a birdie and get it back into the 60s."Fowler finished with three birdies and two bogeys in a much-needed good start after mi sing the cut in the season's first two majors.Jordan Spieth (Getty Images)Jordan Spieth bogeyed his final hole to shoot an even-par 71 and struggled to get much going Thursday Joe Sakic Jersey . He finished with three birdies and three bogeys.Reigning Masters champion Danny Willett was tied with Spieth.Jason Day, the world's top-ranked player, struggled to a 2-over 73 with four bogeys and two birdies. With his length and superb putting, Day is never out of contention, but he must turn things around in a hurry.
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