Phil Mickelson withdraws from St. Jude, expects to be 100 percent for U.S. Open

From WorldGolf.com News Services

The sore wrist that forced Phil Mickelson to withdraw in the first round of last week's Memorial Tournament has also knocked him out of this weekend's Stanford St. Jude Championship in Memphis.

Mickelson, who prefers to play in an event the week before a major, entered the St. Jude at TPC at Southwind in hopes of sharpening his game for next week's U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club.

"The timing isn't the best because I really wanted to play at Memphis, but the good news is there is no break or fracture," Mickelson said in a statement on his Web site. "I have inflammation that can be relieved and I'm looking forward to playing the Open at 100 percent physically."

Mickelson injured his wrist hitting out of the rough during a practice round at Oakmont over Memorial Day weekend.

The PGA Tour's second-biggest earner this year had a second opinion Tuesday in San Diego and will receive a cortisone shot in his left wrist.

He has been told by doctors that he should be able to play without pain in the Open.

What's on Tiger's mind?

After the St. Jude there will be 10 weeks left in the PGA Tour's regular season. While it comes as no surprise that Tiger Woods leads the FedEx Cup standings, the world No. 1 may have other things on his mind, and schedule, as the season winds down.

"It's going to be a lot of golf," Woods told reporters Monday at the media day for August's PGA Championship. "I'm pacing myself already just because of the fact that I have a baby coming up. I don't know how much I'm going to play after that or how much I'm going to play before that."

Woods and his wife, Elin, are expecting the couple's first child in a matter of weeks.

"A lot of that is depending on what happens and the health of Elin and our child," Woods said. "But the end of the year is going to be a very busy test for a lot of the players on our tour."

Kenny Perry getting fit

Dropping 25 pounds after knee surgery appears to be paying off for Kenny Perry.

Perry, whose 9-under 63 Sunday at the Memorial was the lowest final-round score in the tournament's 32-year history, told reporters over the weekend that he is trying to lose five more pounds to get his weight down to 200.

"[I was] basically fat, out of shape [and] just playing terrible golf," Perry said at his post-tournament press conference. He said he lost weight to take pressure off his right knee but is still adjusting to his new physique.

"I feel kind of puny," he said. "I don't feel as strong as I normally feel because I've lost so much weight. [I've] just got to keep working at it and get stronger."

Perry, who has made just nine cuts in 15 events this year, recorded his second top-10 finish of 2007 at the Memorial. He ranks 91st on the money list but said he's hopeful that things are looking up. "I couldn't make a cut two months ago," he said.

Chip shots

• David Toms has enjoyed stellar success in recent years at the St. Jude Championship, winning in 2003 and '04 and finishing second in '05. He has shot in the 60s in 16 of his last 20 rounds at the event.

• The St. Jude field will have a prominent foreign flavor. Several top international players are making their first appearance, including Sergio Garcia, Retief Goosen, Padraig Harrington and Adam Scott.

• K.J. Choi's Memorial victory was his fifth career PGA title. The 37-year-old South Korean has now won as many Tour events as all other Asian-born players combined. Shigeki Maruyama has won three PGA events, Isao Aoki and T.C. Chen one each.

June 6, 2007