"Today was interesting" - Phil Mickelson opens up on dealing with 'diversity' at The Open Championship

Phil Mickelson reflected on the challenging conditions at Royal Portrush after finishing his second round at the 2025 Open Championship on Friday, July 18. Sharing his thoughts on X, the 55-year-old spoke about the unpredictable weather and how he stayed focused through the changing conditions in Northern Ireland.

The second day at Portrush saw occasional showers, high humidity, and limited sunshine, making it a tough outing for players. This came after a rainy opening round on Thursday that had already set a tricky tone for the tournament.

Mickelson wrote on X:

"Today was an interesting day where sometimes there’s sun, rain, wind and you have to deal with the diversity of the environment. You do your LEVEL best to EVEN the score. Trust and believe in your knowledge and yourself and your stock will rise. Yes, today was interesting. Now onto the weekend."

Phil Mickelson posted a 1-over 72 on Friday. He opened with a bogey on the first hole and played steady pars up to the 6th. A birdie on the par-3 7th helped him complete the front nine at even-par 36. On the back nine, he dropped shots on the 11th and 14th but regained a stroke with a birdie on 17, closing out with another 36.

With rounds of 70 (-1) and 72 (+1), Phil Mickelson is even par for the tournament and tied for 34th heading into the weekend.

When will Phil Mickelson begin his Round 3 at The Open Championship?

Phil Mickelson will tee off for his third round at 6:50 a.m. ET on Saturday, July 19. The six-time major winner will play alongside Jhonattan Vegas, who is tied with Mickelson for 34th place after two rounds at Royal Portrush.

Here’s a look at the complete Round 3 tee times and pairings for The Open Championship (all times ET):

• 4:35 a.m.: Matti Schmid, Corey Conners
• 4:45 a.m.: Sepp Straka, Hideki Matsuyama
• 4:55 a.m.: Takumi Kanaya, Adrien Saddier
• 5:05 a.m.: Sebastian Soderberg, Henrik Stenson
• 5:15 a.m.: Thomas Detry, Jacob Skov Olesen
• 5:25 a.m.: Nathan Kimsey, Bryson DeChambeau
• 5:35 a.m.: Maverick McNealy, Thriston Lawrence
• 5:45 a.m.: Justin Leonard, John Parry
• 6:00 a.m.: Andrew Novak, Sergio Garcia
• 6:10 a.m.: Jesper Svensson, Francesco Molinari
• 6:20 a.m.: Riki Kawamoto, Wyndham Clark
• 6:30 a.m.: Shane Lowry, Jon Rahm
• 6:40 a.m.: JJ Spaun, Dustin Johnson
• 6:50 a.m.: Phil Mickelson, Jhonattan Vegas
• 7:00 a.m.: Viktor Hovland, Jordan Spieth
• 7:15 a.m.: Russell Henley, Antoine Rozner
• 7:25 a.m.: Romain Langasque, Daniel Berger
• 7:35 a.m.: Sungjae Im, Dean Burmester
• 7:45 a.m.: Matt Wallace, Akshay Bhatia
• 7:55 a.m.: Jason Kokrak, Lucas Glover
• 8:05 a.m.: Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Thomas
• 8:15 a.m.: Aaron Rai, Rickie Fowler
• 8:30 a.m.: Marc Leishman, Oliver Lindell
• 8:40 a.m.: Ryggs Johnston, Xander Schauffele
• 8:50 a.m.: Kristoffer Reitan, Matthew Jordan
• 9:00 a.m.: Ludvig Åberg, Justin Rose
• 9:10 a.m.: Harry Hall, Christiaan Bezuidenhout
• 9:20 a.m.: Sam Burns, Lee Westwood
• 9:30 a.m.: Jordan Smith, Rory McIlroy
• 9:45 a.m.: Keegan Bradley, Nicolai Højgaard
• 9:55 a.m.: Tony Finau, Chris Gotterup
• 10:05 a.m.: Harris English, Robert MacIntyre
• 10:15 a.m.: Tyrrell Hatton, Rasmus Højgaard
• 10:25 a.m.: Haotong Li, Brian Harman
• 10:35 a.m.: Matt Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler

Edited by Sumeet Kavthale