LEMONT, Ill. -- This will be the best laugh you'll have all day.
Perhaps all week.
Phil Mickelson's reverse love affair (hey, that's the nicest way to put it) with designer Rees Jones has become public record, with the future Hall of Famer missing very few opportunities to take shots at the architect's body of work. This week at Cog Hill, Mickelson was one of many players pointing out the flaws in Jones' redesign of Cog Hill, site of the BMW Championship.
But this is downright comical. Lovers of irony, button your chinstraps.
* In the second half of the 2010 season, Mickelson's lone top-10 finish came at Cog Hill, where he finished T8.
* In 2011, his lone victory was claimed in Houston, at the Redstone course designed by Rees Jones.
* Mickelson has two other top-5 finishes this year, but only one in the United States, at Torrey Pines, on a course redesigned by Jones before the 2002 event.
So, in other words, in his last four finishes of T8 or better, three have come at courses Jones built or redesigned. The fourth was a T2 at the British Open in July.
After shooting a 1-over 72 in the first round, Mickelson was asked about the disconnect between his opinions and his results on the various Jones venues. Just because he doesn't love the design doesn't men he can't play them.
"Everybody's gotta play it, everybody's gotta play it," he said.
