(Reuters) - "Phenomenal" was how Phil Mickelson described his first round of golf since recovering from a pair of offseason surgeries after he carded a four-under-par 68 on Thursday at the CareerBuilder Challenge in La Quinta, California.
Mickelson, who had surgeries for a sports hernia on Oct. 19 and again on Dec. 12, mixed five birdies with a lone bogey at La Quinta Country Club to end the opening round of the pro-am event three strokes off the early pace.
Asked to assess his round, the five-time major champion told Golf Channel: "I thought it was phenomenal.