Mickelson knows the numbers

“I know it’s not far off because I’ve been hitting it well coming in, but today it sure looked far off,” he said. “A little change here and there, I’ll come out tomorrow playing a little freer, a little more aggressive. It happens for me when I take a week off before a major. I swing tight, play tentative.” Mickelson knows the numbers were out there on Thursday, but is not creating a sense of urgency. With his record in this championship it is clear Mickelson has theright temperament. “Good scores are out there, there were a lot of rounds under par and a lot of over par rounds, too. Although mine was high, it could’ve been a lot higher,” he said. In his five U.S. Open second-place finishes, Mickelson was not without an abnormal round. Mickelson acknowledged it, saying, “I don’t normally play four days perfectly, so this was my bad round, and hopefully I’ll get it turned around tomorrow.” In all but one of those close calls, he has a round of 73 or higher. Five years ago, Mickelson even had a 74 –unfortunately, it came in the final round at Winged Foot.