Mickelson sheds light on 2014 U.S. Open prep

With three legs of the career Grand Slam now secure, Phil Mickelson has made it clear: he has his sights set on the 2014 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2.

Appearing Friday on "Morning Drive," Mickelson reiterated his anticipation for the season's second major as it returns next year to a course where he finished runner-up to Payne Stewart 14 years ago.

"A lot of great things came from that event, even though it was a heartbreaking loss," said Mickelson, whose first child was born the day after the final round in 1999. "Hopefully I'll be able to go back there next year and take some of that emotion and apply it to my game, play well and capture my first U.S. Open."

Mickelson's runner-up in the event this summer at Merion was the sixth of his career, extending his own record for second-place finishes. Always meticulous in his preparation for majors, the 43-year-old indicated he plans to make 2-3 trips to Pinehurst in advance of next year's event, playing 2-3 rounds on the tournament course per visit.

"A lot of it is not just playing, but kind of studying the course on where the ball wants to go, where it's going to end up, and then hitting those shots," said Mickelson. "Half the battle is knowing where to go, and where not to go. I don't want to hit a great shot, or even a good shot, to where I think is OK and not have a chance."

In recent weeks, Mickelson has indicated that his overall schedule for 2014 will likely shorten as he places an added focus on capturing the event that has eluded him the most. The five-time major champion reiterated those sentiments Friday, even hinting that he may skip FedEx Cup Playoff events or World Golf Championships later in the year to remain fresh.

"The first half of the season won't be too different. My performance levels off and goes down a bit as we start to go into the second half of the year," he added. "I think where the changes are going to have to take place are in the second half of the year ... Those events to me are going to have to take a backseat, because I physically and mentally just wasn't able to perform at the level I expect."

Rory, G-Mac support taking PGA to Royal Portrush

One day after the president of the PGA of America floated the idea of taking the PGA Championship to Royal Portrush, former world No. 1 Rory McIlroy came out in staunch support of playing the season's final major in his native Northern Ireland.

"I've spoken to Ted (Bishop) and to people at the PGA about this - they approached me a few months ago and I'd be all for it," said McIlroy according to a Reuters report. "It's quite a long way down the road, 10 years or so, maybe a bit more, but I'd love to be able to play a major championship at home."

Last month, reports surfaced that the PGA of America was considering taking its marquee event overseas, though the next open date for the event is not until 2020. Thursday, Bishop indicated that his wish list of venues would include Portrush, which hosted its lone major championship in 1951.

"Royal Portrush would be a great first international major," Bishop said during his appearance on "Morning Drive." "I think given the powerful effect that Irish golfers have on the professional game, that might be a good place to start."

The Northern Ireland club has been mentioned in recent years as a possible venue for the Open Championship in 2018 or 2019, though the R & A denied reports that any decision on host site for those dates had been determined. Portrush did host the 2012 Irish Open to much fanfare, an event that McIlroy points to as evidence that the club is ready for the major stage.

"Having the Irish Open there at Portrush made a huge impact," said McIlroy. "I think everyone saw how well it was supported, so if they had 5-10 years to prepare, it could be massive."

The former PGA champion's sentiments were echoed Friday by another major winner from Northern Ireland, Graeme McDowell.

"I couldn't believe it and read it three times," McDowell told the Irish Independent. "I had heard the PGA was looking at going global, which is a very positive step forward, but I was expecting Asia, not the north coast of Ireland."

A winner of the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, McDowell feels it's time to shift the landscape of golf's four major championships in a more global direction.

"Having three majors in America, with the way the game is growing, is a little too weighted," he added. "It's the fourth major of four, so taking it somewhere else would really boost the interest. Asia, Australia or Europe would really embrace it."

Four Americans among Euro Q-School qualifiers

Americans Peter Uihlein and Brooks Koepka will have some company from their fellow countrymen next year on the European Tour.

Though Uihlein and Koepka earned their way onto the circuit via the Challenge Tour, four Americans were among the 27 players who received cards for the 2014 season Friday at European Tour Q-School in Girona, Spain.

Leading the way for the Americans was John Hahn, a former standout at Kent State who qualified for this year's U.S. Open at Merion. Hahn finished the six-round event at 13 under, 13 shots behind medalist Carlos del Moral from Spain, who himself was five shots clear of the next-closest competitor.

Joining Hahn next year on the European Tour will be Connor Arendell, who played his college golf at the University of Central Florida, Brinson Paolini, formerly of Duke University, and Jason Knutzon, a 1998 graduate at Iowa State.

Other notables among the 27 newest European Tour members are Belgium's Thomas Pieters, who won the 2012 NCAA individual title while at the University of Illinois, Ireland's Kevin Phelan, who made the cut at the U.S. Open in June, and Alistair Forsyth, a veteran and twice a winner on the European Tour, who made it on the number despite a 2-over 74 in the sixth and final round.

With Q-School in the U.S. now a pipeline for the Web.com Tour rather than an avenue with direct access to the PGA Tour, many players are looking to the European Tour as a more viable option for developing their skills and ultimately gaining access to top-level events. Uihlein notably won last year on the European Tour at the Madeira Islands Open in Portugal, while Koepka won three times on the Challenge Tour and now is nearing special temporary membership on the PGA Tour for the 2013-14 season after he turned a sponsor exemption into a tie for third at the season-opening Frys.com Open.

Mickelson live in studio Friday on 'Morning Drive'

Phil Mickelson will make his first appearance in Studio AP on Friday when he joins the crew on Golf Channel’s “Morning Drive.”

Mickelson will be part of the two-hour show that begins at 8 a.m. ET, following live coverage of the DP World Tour Championship in Dubai. 

The world No. 3 last played earlier this month at the WGC-HSBC Champions, where he finished 14th. He will begin his 2014 season at the Jan. 16-19 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

Stuard leads as play suspended in Mayakoba

PLAYA DEL CARMEN, Mexico - Brian Stuard topped the OHL Classic leaderboard at 5 under with three holes left Thursday when first-round play was suspended for the day because of rain and wet conditions.

More than 3 inches of rain soaked the Mayakoba Resort since early Wednesday night.

Play was suspended from 8:40 to 11 a.m., and stopped again at 1:22 p.m. It was called for the day at 3:30 p.m., with only 15 players able to finish their rounds on the El Camaleon course.

''The biggest thing was the lightning threat and the rain we received,'' said Slugger White, the vice president of rules and competition for the PGA Tour. ''We absolutely lost the golf course. With this rain it just knocked us out.''

More thunderstorms are expected Friday.

''We'll just grind through it again,'' White said.

Stuard had six birdies and a bogey. He had his best career PGA Tour finish in the 2010 event, tying for second behind Cameron Beckman.

Two-time heart transplant recipient Erik Compton and Alvaro Quiros were a stroke back. Compton completed 17 holes, and Quiros finished 15.

Harris English, Jeff Maggert, Josh Teater and Jamie Lovemark were 3 under. English and Harris finished 17 holes, Maggert played 15, and Lovemark 12.

Defending champion John Huh had yet to tee off. He won the February 2012 event for his first PGA Tour title, parring the eighth hole of a playoff with Robert Allenby. The playoff matched the second-longest in tour history. Huh closed with a 63, while Allenby had a double bogey on the final hole of regulation.

The PGA Tour event offers full FedEx Cup points for the first time and the winner will get a spot in the Masters. It was previously played opposite the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play.

Stuard leads early at rain-plagued Mayakoba

The OHL Classic’s move to November is off to a predictably soggy start.

Thursday’s first round was twice suspended by inclement weather, with the second delay, just before 2:30 p.m. ET, eventually ending play for the day.

Play will resume at 7:45 a.m. ET Friday.

Brian Stuard is staked to the early lead, at 5 under through 15 holes. Erik Compton (thru 17) and Alvaro Quiros (thru 15) are a shot behind, with St. Jude Classic winner Harris English among the players at 3 under. 

Only 15 players have completed their opening round. Fifty-seven players have yet to tee off. 

The Mayakoba event used to be held opposite the WGC-Accenture Match Play in late February. Now, the mid-November date puts it squarely at the tail end of the rainy season on the Yucatán Peninsula. El Camaleon, the host course in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, has been pounded by more than 10 inches of rain in the past few weeks. 

Weather was one of the major storylines during the 2013 PGA Tour season, when 22 of 40 were delayed for various reasons. Already in the new, wraparound season, two of the first six events have been delayed at some point.

G-Mac wants to partner with Rory at Ryder Cup

Surely this is welcome news to captain Paul McGinley:

Earlier this week Graeme McDowell denied once again that there was any rift between him and former stablemate Rory McIlroy, adding that he looks forward to joining forces again at next year’s Ryder Cup.

When asked by the Irish Independent whether McGinley had any reason for concern between the two Northern Irishmen, G-Mac replied, “No. There’s not a problem there. I’d love to renew my partnership at Gleneagles with Rory, for sure. A big goal for me in 2014 is to be on that team, and I expect Rory McIlroy will be on that team. 

“Would I like to be teeing off with him on Friday morning in the foursomes? Absolutely. I don’t think Captain McGinley needs to worry about that relationship.” 

That relationship, though, has been the topic of much speculation in the British papers, from the fallout from the management-team split to McIlroy skipping G-Mac’s nuptuals in the Bahamas. They have teamed up to go 2-3-1 in the last two Ryder Cups.

“Of course we’re still friends,” McDowell told the paper. “I’m inadvertently stuck in the middle of a legal matter. I’m very close to both parties and, of course, there’s going to be speculation about how that’s going to affect both relationships, which is a tough scenario.

“It’s tough for everyone, but Rory and I will always remain competitors, colleagues, peers and friends. I care a lot about what he does. I care a lot about how good he is and that will never change.”