#Phil Mickelson’s PGA Tour Champions debut was historic

Phil Mickelson might not yet think of himself as a senior in the golf world, but Lefty already is setting records in his PGA Tour Champions debut.

Mickelson carded 11 birdies and fired an opening round 10-under 61 Monday in his first tournament appearance among the 50-and-over set — the lowest-scoring debut in the tour’s history – at the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National in Ridgedale, Missouri

“The expectation is there. If you play well and win, well, you’re supposed to do that. If you don’t, it’s like, ‘What happened?’ ” Mickelson said, according to Golf Digest. “I wanted to make sure I was playing well when I played in my first one.”

Mickelson, who turned 50 on June 16, is looking to become the 20th player to win his PGA Tour Champions debut. Jim Furyk managed the feat at the Ally Challenge earlier this month, and first-year eligible Ernie Els, Shane Bertsch and Brett Quigley also have won on the Champions Tour this year.

“I was a little nervous going in and it feels great to get off to a good start, especially when you’re only in a three-round tournament, you don’t have that extra round,” Mickelson said. “You’ve got to come out and get off to a good start so that you’re not playing catch-up.”

The 44-time winner on the PGA Tour (ninth all-time) didn’t make the cut at the Northern Trust last week, knocking him out of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Mickelson was seeking to keep playing in preparation for the U.S. Open at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck beginning Sept. 17. He has won five majors, but never the U.S. Open, finishing second a record six times.

Mickelson posted five straight birdies through No. 17 in his round Monday to hold a one-stroke lead over Australian David McKenzie. His 11 birdies tied his personal record for a single round in his career.

“Anytime you can have someone who’s still competitive on the main tour as Phil is,” McKenzie said, “it’s always fun to see how he comes out and see how you compete against him.”