Mickelson sluggish at Scottish Open, high on Royal Troon

LUSS, Scotland -- Phil Mickelson skipped his practice round at the Scottish Open to get a look at Royal Troon, so his 1-over 72 on Thursday that left him seven shots out of the lead was not surprising.

The Masters champion and U.S. Open runner-up did not seem all that concerned.

"It wasn't the best round," Mickelson said. "But I've got an early tee time tomorrow and I'll try to turn it around."

Showing the Scottish Open means different things to different players, Jose Manuel Lara shot a 6-under 65 and was tied for the lead with Phillip Price and 50-year-old Eduardo Romero at Loch Lomond.

Mickelson has one eye on the British Open, the one major where he has never finished in the top 10.

Lara, on the other hand, needs a top finish at the Scottish Open just to play in golf's oldest championship next week at Royal Troon. The top player at Loch Lomond not already eligible gets into the British Open.

"My goal was to come here and play well and try to take the spot here," Lara said.

Lara, a 27-year-old Spaniard, got off to a good start in surprisingly sunny conditions along the bonnie banks of Loch Lomond. He made four birdies in a five-hole stretch to start the back nine, then polished off a bogey-free round of 65.

Emanuele Canonica is in the same position as Lara, and he responded with a 66.

Former British Open champion Tom Lehman, one of a handful of Americans at Loch Lomond, birdied the final hole and was among those at 67. Thomas Bjorn was at 68, while Colin Montgomerie shot 69 playing with defending champion Ernie Els (70) and Lee Westwood (71).

"The idea was to beat my two playing partners over the two days, and I've achieved it on the first day," Montgomerie said. "Stay ahead of them and I'm doing OK."

British Open champion Ben Curtis had a 73. Mark Calcavecchia, who won the Open at Royal Troon in 1989, opened with a 72. Another former champion at Troon, Loch Lomond designer Tom Weiskopf, had an 80.

Mickelson got to 1 under for his round before back-to-back bogeys, and his round started to get away from him when he missed a 3-foot putt after a beautiful flop shot on the 15th. It was better than his start last year at Loch Lomond when he opened with a 69.

The Open was played at Royal St. George's in England last year, while Troon is a short drive from Loch Lomond. Mickelson took advantage of the proximity by spending 6 1/2 hours on the Ayrshire links Wednesday.

That has been his strategy all year - going to the site of a major the week before and figuring out where he can save a few shots every round. There are no tricks at Troon, and Mickelson figures the British Open will depend on rain and wind, as always. Still, he liked what he saw.

"I thought it looked sensational," Mickelson said. "But then again, so did Shinnecock the week before. So it's hard to say. It looks as if it's going to be a wonderful test of golf - a very fair, tough test."

Mickelson was poised to capture the first two legs of the Grand Slam at Shinnecock Hills, just two shots behind Retief Goosen going into the last round. He was tied for the lead until a three-putt double bogey on the 17th hole and wound up two shots behind.

This might be Mickelson's best chance at a British Open, although that doesn't take much. His best finish is a tie for 11th at St. Andrews, although he was never a factor.

"I'm just trying to get my game plan," Mickelson said. "But I do feel very confident in how I'm playing."

He'll try to apply that over the next three days at Loch Lomond.

Mickelson got rid of that label as the "best player to never win a major" with his back-nine 31 to win the Masters. That doesn't mean there's not another label waiting at every turn.

A British writer pointed out that he was the best to have never won on the European tour.

"I would like that breakthrough to be next week," Mickelson said. "But I would take this week."