Phil Mickelson and Lee Westwood are offering reminders that the British Open doesn't discriminate against older players. Mickelson already won the PGA Championship at age 50 to set the major record. Now at 55, he shot 70 in the opening round at Royal Portrush.
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Not anymore.Beat the heat with these cooling gadgets and wearablesWorking Well: The simple act of taking deep breaths can reduce stress and anxiety'Why? Why? Why?' Ukraine's Mariupol descends into despairAn Alaska tsunami warning had residents scrambling for high ground after 7.3 magnitude earthquakeRFK Jr. and other Trump officials embrace psychedelics after FDA setbackMore elderly Americans are choking to death. Are these devices the answer?How to clean keyboard grunge, earwax in earphones and screen smudgesBeat the heat with these cooling gadgets and wearablesLabubu no es la primera moda de juguetes, y ciertamente no será la últimaPresidente de Bolivia recomienda vacunar a los niños contra el sarampión tras un broteRenuncia en Cuba ministra de Trabajo tras polémicas declaraciones sobre mendigos disfrazadosPhil Mickelson of the United States looks round on the 7th green during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. Lee Westwood of England looks out from his umbrella as he waits to play on the 7th green during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. Pidgin Harrington of Ireland looks to play out of a bunker on the 13th green during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Phil Mickelson of the United States acknowledges the crowd as he walks off the 1st tee after playing his shot during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. Phil Mickelson of the United States looks round on the 7th green during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. Phil Mickelson of the United States looks round on the 7th green during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. Lee Westwood of England looks out from his umbrella as he waits to play on the 7th green during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. Lee Westwood of England looks out from his umbrella as he waits to play on the 7th green during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. Pidgin Harrington of Ireland looks to play out of a bunker on the 13th green during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Pidgin Harrington of Ireland looks to play out of a bunker on the 13th green during a practice round for the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Tuesday, July 15, 2025. Phil Mickelson of the United States acknowledges the crowd as he walks off the 1st tee after playing his shot during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. Phil Mickelson of the United States acknowledges the crowd as he walks off the 1st tee after playing his shot during the first round of the British Open golf championship at the Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, Thursday, July 17, 2025. PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Phil Mickelson delivered more magic Thursday in the British Open, leaving one shot in a bunkerIt looked like the Mickelson of old, especially with all that gray stubble in his beard.Now he’s at the oldest championship in golf, the one that least discriminates against age. The Open is where 53-year-old Greg Norman had the lead going into the final round at Royal Birkdale in 2008, and more famously where 59-year-old Tom Watson was an 8-foot putt away from winning at Turnberry in 2009. “The Open gives the older gentlemen a chance to win more than any other tournament,” 52-year-old Lee Westwood said after a day in which he was tied for the lead early in the round until a few bogeys dropped him back to a 69. Westwood is playing the British Open for the first time since he joined Saudi-funded LIV Golf in 2022, going through final regional qualifying three weeks ago to earn a spot in the field.British Open at Portrush starts with an Irish cheer. That’s how the last one endedHe has yet to win in LIV Golf and his results would suggest he is riding out the rest of his career. And then he showed up at the major he first played in 1995 — Scottie Scheffler was not even born then — and found some form.“There’s not the premium on carrying traps. They don’t make it unplayable for us older guys with length,” Westwood said. “You can use your experience, guile and cunning on them.” Westwood tripped over his words on the Sky Sports interview and then added, “Not easy to say, but easy to use at our age.” Mickelson, who has not won since that historic day at Kiawah Island, had missed the cut in all three majors this year. At age 55, he still has six more years playing the British Open as a champion at Muirfield in 2013. He started strong with a deft touch with his wedge to easy birdie range on the par-5 second, but the real Lefty showed up on the next hole when he put his tee shot into a bunker, plugged and not far from the steep lip. The first attempt barely got out, rolling on the edge of grass before tumbling back into the bunker. It looked like a bogey at best. But then he splashed out, carrying it some 25 yards and about 10 feet to the left, and the shot had enough side spin to drop into the cup.“That was a crazy one,” Mickelson said. “It was really one of maybe two poor shots I hit, that bunker shot that buried in the lip. And then to make it was obviously a lot of luck. I was just trying to save bogey, and I got lucky it went in.” And then his name stayed on the leaderboard the rest of the morning — a birdie on the par-5 seventh, a couple of bogeys on the back nine, a 20-foot birdie on the 17th hole. Mickelson had gone 21 consecutive rounds in a major without breaking par until Thursday in the British Open. Sure, he had the advantage of missing the rain for all but the last couple of holes. But it was good golf. It’s still there. “I played really well, and I had an opportunity,” he said. “I really enjoy playing these conditions and playing this tournament. It’s just a lot of fun.”Padraig Harrington, coming off his win in the U.S. Senior Open, had the honor and thrill of hitting the opening tee shot. He made birdie on the first hole. That was the highlight on his card when he signed for a 74. “I got a little emotional when I was clapped on, and then I calmed down, and I was kind of fine when I was hitting it,” Harrington said. He three-putted two straight holes and had a lost ball on No. 10. It was an otherwise forgettable day, except for the unforgettable start of hitting the first shot. “Yeah, it was a tough day on the greens, and it just ate into my game,” he said. “Might have been a little bit of the fact that I was hyped up for the first tee box. Who knows? Certainly felt like I played better, could have played better, should have played better.”Doug Ferguson has been the AP’s golf writer since 1998. He is a recipient of the PGA Lifetime Achievement in Journalism award.Federal judge reverses rule that would have removed medical debt from credit reportsAn Alaska tsunami warning had residents scrambling for high ground after 7.3 magnitude earthquake
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