Mickelson is told to rest

Instead of playing a practice round Monday at Torrey Pines, Phil Mickelson was at home under a doctor’s order and may not be able to play in the Buick Invitational, which begins Thursday.

Mickelson has been bothered by congestion, shortness of breath and fatigue since October after inhaling smoke and ash while clearing debris from around his home in Rancho Santa Fe. The area was damaged by a wildfire.

After seeing a doctor Monday morning, Mickelson was told to rest for two days. He will not be eligible to play the Buick if he isn’t able to take part in Wednesday’s pro-am, as part of PGA Tour rules.

According to a brief statement from the tournament headquarters and Mickelson’s representatives, his condition worsened over the weekend.

Mickelson, ranked No. 2 in the world, would make his 2008 debut at Torrey Pines, where Tiger Woods is also playing for the first time this year.

Mickelson’s last two tournaments were in November. The first was at Singapore, where he exhibited the same symptoms that made him bedridden Monday. He shot 79 on the last day in the Barclays Singapore Open and finished 15 shots behind winner Angel Cabrera.

But Mickelson won the next week, in the HSBC Champions at Shanghai.

-- Thomas Bonk

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Woods says Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman meant no harm when she used the term “lynch” during television commentary about him, and he considers the issue closed as he returns to work this week.

“It was unfortunate,” Woods said in his first public comments since Tilghman was suspended for two weeks. “Kelly and I did speak. There was no ill intent. She regrets saying it. In my eyes, it’s all said and done.”

Woods spoke at the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, where he announced a contest for children to talk about their first “fist-pump” moment. He said several people had contacted him, curious about what he thought.

“I tell them she’s a friend of mine, which she is,” Woods said. “I’ve known her for 10 or 11 years now. We all say things we do regret, and that’s certainly a moment she does regret.”

From the Associated Press