Phil Mickelson blames strep throat on too many high 5s, Jason Dufner’s on steroids for neck injury

Phil Mickelson fans may be sorely disappointed this week after their favorite to win at Firestone blamed his recent sore throat on too much high-fiving and glad-handing with the folks outside the ropes.

“I’ve got to be a little bit careful on some of the high-fives and hand-slapping and stuff because it looks like that’s the cause of me getting sick,” Mickelson told reporters Thursday about what he believes caused the strep throat he contracted after the British Open. “So I’ve got to cut some of that out.”

Mickelson, who carded a 1-over 71 to open the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, was not the only contestant to report to the MASH unit, what with Tiger Woods traveling with his personal team of physical therapists ready to treat his surgically repaired back and Jason Dufner needing a steroid injection to dull the pain of two bulging discs in his neck.

“I’m a little bit sore,” Dufner, who hopes to defend his PGA title next week at Valhalla, told the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Thursday about the injection he received on Monday. “But I feel better than I did before the injections that I got. My arm’s not dead, it’s not tingling. I think it’s just going to be one of those things I’ve got to work through.”

Both Dufner and Mickelson were in sick bay and unable to practice much ahead of the tuneup for the final major on the men’s 2014 calendar. Dufner said he has been limited since the injury occurred sometime before the Masters in April and got tired toward the end of his even-par 70 first round.

“When you don’t practice and you don’t play, and you try to come out here and compete, it’s tough,” Dufner said. “I chipped the ball off the green today, I hit a 20-footer 10 feet past the hole. Those are the things I’m dealing with more than physical issues.”

As for Lefty, he’ll have to fight the urge to engage in his usual post-round touchy-feely sessions with followers. Not to worry, though, since Mickelson seems to take “beware the sick golfer” personally.

“I played some of my best golf when I was sick, too. I remember — well, it’s been a while now, but back in San Diego, like 2000 or 2001, I ended up being in the hospital with an IV on Tuesday or Wednesday and ended up winning,” he said. “I remember doing that at Doral the night before the final round. And you come out and it just kind of slows your mind down. You don’t get ahead of yourself. You don’t rush things. Sometimes you play your best golf like that.”

Photo credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty

Taking the week off to get stronger for next week was definitely not on Phil’s to-do list — not when he’s one position shy of automatically qualifying for a Ryder Cup spot (he began the day two places out until Dustin Johnson announced he was taking an indefinite leave of absence to face “personal challenges”).

“If I’m going to have a good chance next week at a golf course I’ve played well at in the past, I needed to get sharp. I needed to get out and play,” said Mickelson, who relishes the opportunity to play some more links golf.

Mickelson won the Scottish Open last year a week before capturing his first claret jug at the British Open a week later. September’s Ryder Cup matches will take place at Gleneagles in Scotland, “a country that I’ve played some good golf in the last few years and I always enjoy going back to,” he said.