Lingmerth's rally again ends in play-off loss

to Jason Dufner in California

For the second time in the last four years, David Lingmerth left Palm Springs with a play-off loss.
Lingmerth began the day five shots behind Jason Dufner, but after shooting a final-round 65 the Swede forced extra holes at the CareerBuilder Challenge.
Lingmerth appeared poised to earn his second career victory on the first extra hole, but Dufner made a 12-foot putt to save par and extend the proceedings.
Lingmerth's approach on the next hole found the water, letting Dufner two-putt for par and the win.
"It wasn't really a bad swing, I don't think," Lingmerth said. "I should have probably choked up a little bit more on the grip, that would have probably helped me not have the grass grab it so much. "So it turned the ball over and it was a really not a bad swing, just a small mistake that was very costly."
US PGA Tour starts. He defeated Justin Rose in sudden death to earn his maiden win at the Memorial, then followed with a play-off loss to Danny Lee at The Greenbrier Classic in July.
He also lost in a play-off at this weekend's event in 2013, when he fired a 62 in the final round before ultimately losing to Brian Gay.
"It's nice to come out here. The weather is always perfect for golf," he said. "If you're feeling good, if you're swinging it well and everything, it's pretty good. You can shoot some numbers out here, which is fun."
While Lingmerth leaves the desert with a healthy, six-figure paycheck, he also can take solace in the fact that he took a large step toward representing Sweden in the upcoming Olympics. Lingmerth began the week at No. 52 in the world rankings, 14 spots ahead of Kristoffer Broberg for the second and final potential roster slot for Sweden next to Henrik Stenson.
After another overtime appearance, that gap should widen considerably.
Scot Martin Laird made the cut in this low scoring tournament but did not improve substantially over the last two rounds and tied for 49th place.

Mickelson's new swing passes test

FROM GOLFWEEK.COM
Phil Mickelson showed off his new swing this week at the CareerBuilder Challenge – and it passed the test.
"This is an A," Mickelson said Sunday after shooting 21 under and tying for third in his first competitive round since the Presidents Cup. "This is a great week for me. ... I'm playing the way I wanted."
Mickelson made 22 birdies and an eagle this week in La Quinta, Calif. He also carded just three bogeys, including none in the final round on PGA West's TPC Stadium Course.
As for that 21-under total, it was Mickelson's lowest 72-hole score in relation to par in an event he didn't win since 2005.
"I needed to get off on the right foot, know that what I'm doing is the right way, and continue to trust it," Mickelson said. "I just feel like each day I hit balls, each day that I practice, I continue to improve and get better and better touch. … That's coming back quickly."
Mickelson started working with new swing coach Andrew Getson last October. The two got Mickelson's swing back on plane – Mickelson's old swing had been too flat at the top and too steep coming down. Mickelson called it "a very difficult three or four months" to get his swing to its current state.
"I'm starting to manoeuvre the ball the way I want to," Mickelson said. "My divot entry point is the way I want it. It's actually a straight line. It had been toe deep for so long because I came in so steep the toe was entering first. … The divots this week were great. There was one bad divot all week.
"So the touch and the feel and the face awareness is slowly starting to come back and as that comes back, as my swing stays on plane, my game's going to come right back with it."
Mickelson might have dug into the golf dictionary with terms like "divot entry point" and "face awareness," but to put things in simpler terms, his swing feels good, is easier, and he's excited as he looks ahead to his next two starts, next week's Farmers Insurance Open and the following week's Waste Management Phoenix Open.
"I had a lot of fun this week," Mickelson said, "and I'm looking forward to playing some more golf, because I know that I'm on the right track now."

FINAL TOTALS

Jason Dufner

263

(won play-off)

David Lingmerth

263