Par for the course, Lefty has gallery behind him
Jordan Spieth fell out before the weekend even arrived.
World top-15 golfers Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott and Patrick Reed also fell short.
No. 1 Dustin Johnson? He didn’t even show up to the PGA Shell Houston Open, bowing out late and content to let last week’s win in Austin set up the prestige of the upcoming Masters.
Take away South Korea’s Sung Kang and his scorching 9-under par 63 on Friday at the Golf Club of Houston, and latefading Rickie Fowler was one of the only widely recognizable names remaining for the paying public to shout at, shadow and follow.
So, yes, Phil Mickelson’s final putt on the 18th green for a sec-
ond consecutive even-par day meant a little more than normal. “Come on, Phil!” “Go, Phil!” They shouted, trying to reach out and connect with a three-time Masters champion who’s been unpredictably inconsistent in recent years.
As the wind kicked, Mickelson slowly walked toward the final hole. His soft tap fell in. He was saved, barely staying above the cut line and leaving another name on the board in a tournament that’s suddenly short of star power.
Mickelson is nine strokes off Fowler and a whopping 16 behind Kang. He also has two more days to ramp up his game on a course he loves, and in front of a fan base that treated a 46-year-old golfer who hasn’t won in three-plus years like one of the game’s sharpest stars.
“I fought hard in the end to get to the weekend, because I felt to get sharp for next week I need to play a better round.” said Mickelson, who’s ranked 19th in the world and has 42 career wins. “I didn’t want to have five days without competitive rounds before we tee off.”
Kids lined up and begged for Mickelson’s signature. He signed small yellow flags and an oversized ball, making his way past young, outstretched hands minutes after some cynical fan watching near 18 stated the obvious: “The cut doesn’t matter, Phil. Next week matters.”
Looking for birdies
SHO matters to Mickelson, who believes he’s about 15 consistent feet away from making a weekend run that will set up a real show at Augusta.
“I got frustrated early because I’m having difficulty getting the ball close to make birdies,” said Mickelson, who captured the 2011 Houston tournament and is the last big name to win the SHO. “I’ve got an opportunity to change that. And much like when I won in 2011, I ended up coming out from way back and shot 9 under.”
With kids waiting for more autographs and adults snapping cellphone photos, Mickelson made it through a few safe questions before he was asked about $1.9 million.
That’s the jaw-dropping amount of a reported sports gambling debt Mickelson paid off in 2012, which left Lefty in the middle of national sports news Friday at the same time he was trying to stay at even-par.
Mickelson replied with in-depth answers about his second-round showing, making the cut and the state of his game. He answered a $1.9 million gambling payoff with a short, vague non-answer.
“I don’t know what else to add,” said Mickelson, whose debt was uncovered in court documents during an ongoing federal trial related to insiderstock selling.
Uneventful round
Then it was back to his up-and-down game and the SHO.
Mickelson birdied and bogeyed two holes apiece Friday. He never threatened but also never fell apart.
Spieth, Stenson and Scott were gone. Johnson never appeared.
Every pro remaining was staring up at Kang (16 under overall) and his new lucky putter.
After two days and 36 holes, Mickelson was on the board and could sign his name all weekend.
“Phil! Phil!” shouted another fan, holding up a hat and trying to catch Mickelson’s eye.