SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Bubba Watson started play with a ski cap and kept his hands warm between shots with mittens. Ben Crane wore two hats and three pair of pants. And Phil Mickelson played his final nine holes in short sleeves.
Short sleeves? In 45-degree conditions Thursday in the Phoenix Open?
“I don’t know how he was doing it because I didn’t think it was that warm out,” said playing partner Bill Haas, tied for the lead in the suspended first round at 6-under-par 65. “Better than it was in the morning, but it’s still pretty cold.”
Mickelson thought nothing of it.
“I started to get a little bit warm,” Mickelson said. “It felt great.”
“It’s cold. You’ve got four layers on,” said Haas, tied with Jason Bohn, Tom Gillis and Champions Tour player Tom Lehman.
The start of play was delayed four hours because of heavy frost at TPC Scottsdale, and only the scheduled morning starters completed the round. The temperature dipped into the mid 20s overnight, and it was 39 when play started at 11:40 a.m. The high was 47 on a cloudless day in the desert. Another long frost delay was expected today, likely forcing most of the second round to Saturday and possibly setting up a 36-hole finish Sunday.
Lucas Glover, sporting a thick beard that prompted calls of “Grizzly” and “Brian Wilson” from fans, was a stroke back along with Chris Couch and Crane. Mickelson, coming off a one-stroke loss to Watson last week at Torrey Pines in San Diego, topped the group at 67. Watson shot a 70.
• Retief Goosen shot a 3-under 69 on his 42nd birthday to take a one-shot lead in the first round of the Qatar Masters in Doha, Qatar.
With winds reaching 25 mph at the Doha Golf Club, Goosen managed five birdies to finish a shot ahead of defending champion Robert Karlsson, Darren Fitchardt and Richard Finch.
• American Jennifer Song shot a 6-under 67 to earn a share of the first-round lead with South Korea’s Jiyai Shin at the Women’s Australian Open in Melbourne.
Nittany Lions lose Brooks
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Penn State leading rebounder Jeff Brooks is day to day with a dislocated right shoulder, and his status is unclear for Sunday’s game against Michigan. Brooks leads the Nittany Lions with 7.2 rebounds per game and is second in scoring at 13.2 points behind guard Talor Battle.
• Northern Iowa forward Lucas O’Rear, who is averaging 6.9 points and 5.7 rebounds a game, will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his right ankle in Wednesday night’s victory over Illinois State.
Footnotes.
Former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield (43-10-2) has postponed his bout with Denmark’s Brian Nielsen (64-2) until May 7 to recover from an injury suffered from an accidental head butt during his fight last month against Sherman Williams.
• The New York Red Bulls are trying to sign Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka, according to French newspaper L’Equipe.
• Phil Wolff, chief of staff of the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic Organizing Committee, died in San Diego. He was 95.
Denver Post wire services
