Mickelson in mix, with wind a big player at Honda Classic

Rory McIlroy in action during yesterday’s pro-am at the Honda Classic. That will mean a full slate of fantasy tournaments on DraftKings that begin on Thursday including the featured PGA $4M Fantasy Golf Millionaire SUPERSatellite contest.

Adam Scott, of Australia, reacts after missing a putt on the 12th hole during the first round of the Honda Classic golf tournament, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2016, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

This article was written by Tom D’Angelo from The Palm Beach Post and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. (AP) – A missed tee shot by Rickie Fowler. Whether I won or not, it’s a stepping stone for where my game is going. McIlroy has since dropped to No. 3, behind Spieth and Jason Day.

McIlroy’s scars are the most recent, thought they are more like a flesh wound. “I would be out on the course, I didn’t know which way the miss was going to be; it could be left, it could be right. It can’t get any better than that”. I don’t know how many one-putts I had, but felt like quite a few.

Founded in 1972 as the Jackie Gleason’s Inverray Classic, the tournament has been sponsored by Honda since 1982.

He won at PGA National in 2012 to reach No. 1 for the first time in his career.

Asked if his record was a reflection of the nature of a wind-blown course that’s one of the toughest on tour, he shook his head and joked: “I think it’s the nature of me”. Since, he has as many missed cuts (7) as he has top 10 finishes (6). He had a 5-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to force a playoff with Vaughn Taylor, only for the putt to riding the edge of the hole and stay out.

The win moved Harrington from 297th in the world rankings to 82nd but the 44-year-old has since fallen back to 130th and he is out at 100/1 to retain the title and 18/1 for a top-five placing. Patience comes easily with age and a spot in the World Golf Hall of Fame. “And the fact that I’m playing well again, I’m in contention and I’m hitting shots easily – I’m showing up at the golf course not trying to find something but continue refining what I’m already doing”. “It’s gone through a hard time for a couple of years”.

On his putting, he said: “For me, putting, it’s a bit of a journey, trying to figure out how I’m thinking and what I’m feeling when I putt well and what I’m maybe feeling and thinking when I don’t putt so well”. Mickelson is mostly geared toward Augusta. “You’ve got to drive the ball well to give yourself an opportunity to get a ball close on the greens”.

“I’m fine”, he said. The Masters is obviously not that far away, so when it’s the first major of the year and you want to make sure your game is in good shape leading up to it. I love going home and practicing in solitude or playing late in the evening by myself or with my kids, having a competition, or playing with my dad or brother, or the little games with some of the fellow Tour players. “Just really focusing on this week and see if we can get off to a good, solid start”.