Mickelson fades to opening-round 70 after quick start at CareerBuilder

Phil Mickelson roared out of the gates Thursday in his first start of 2018, but struggled down the stretch at the CareerBuilder Challenge.

Mickelson birdied four of his first six holes on the La Quinta Country Club layout, then went 2-over par on his last 12 holes to post an opening-round 70 that left him eight strokes behind leader Jon Rahm.

"It was fun to get back out and be competitive," Mickelson told the Golf Channel. "I for some reason am stuck on 70 here at La Quinta, whether I get off to a good start or a bad one - I end up shooting the same score. It's a fun golf course to play and this weather here is a great place for us to start the year."

The 47-year-old will venture over to the Nicklaus Tournament Course on Friday, followed by the Stadium Course for Saturday's third round.

"This isn't the course where I go low on," added Mickelson. "I feel more comfortable on Stadium and Nicklaus. Neither of them are nearly as tight and I tend to score a lot lower on those other two than I do here, historically."

The two-time winner of the event hit 10 of 14 fairways, but found just 9 of 18 greens in regulation.

"I need to be a little sharper with my iron play, but I thought I drove it well," Mickelson said.