Just like old times, Mickelson in a groove
PEBBLE BEACH — Johnny Miller, another Hall of Famer, won here at age 46, seven years removed from his previous PGA Tour victory. Steve Lowery, a journeyman, won at 47.
So a triumph by 45-year-old Phil Mickelson on Sunday at Pebble Beach would not count as unprecedented or historic. But it would create splashy headlines and send a none-toosubtle reminder to the fresh wave of players commandeering the game: The old guard isn’t done quite yet.
Mickelson’s bogey-free 66 on Saturday vaulted him into sole possession of the lead in this AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, at 16-under-par. He will begin Sunday’s final round two shots ahead of Hiroshi Iwata, with Freddie Jacobson and Sung Kang one more stroke back at 13-under.
And make no mistake: Beneath his perpetual smile and Hall of Fame cool, Mickelson wants to cradle the crystal trophy one more time. He wants it badly.
Mickelson has won 42 times in his decorated career, but not at all in the past 2½ years, since the British Open in July 2013. He has made 49 PGA Tour starts since then, with no victories and only six top-10 finishes.
This frames Mickelson’s impending journey around Pebble. He wouldn’t acknowledge it, naturally, but he will not have many more chances to win. That’s the reality at 45, and he hinted as much by revealing plans to summon his
swing coach, Andrew Getson, from Scottsdale, Ariz., on Saturday night.
Mickelson wants Getson to work with him on the practice range Sunday morning — because Mickelson realizes that his next 18 holes offer an increasingly rare and precious opportunity.
“Actually, as good a round as it was score-wise, I didn’t strike the ball the way I expect to,” he said after Saturday’s six-birdie, 12-par effort. “I’m going to have Andrew come in and see if we can just get sharp. I really want (Sunday) to be a good day.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in contention, and it would mean a lot to me to be able to play a good final round. … It’s fun just to have a chance going into Sunday.”
Pebble Beach carries special meaning for Mickelson, for many reasons. His grandfather, Al Santos, was among the first caddies on the storied links. Plus, Mickelson has won the AT&T Pro-Am no fewer than four times, more than any other event on tour.
Five victories would match Mark O’Meara, a.k.a. the Prince of Pebble Beach, for the most in tournament history.
Even with all this history, Mickelson slipped into the background in the lead-up to this year’s AT&T. That’s because the event attracted a much stronger field than usual, with six of the top nine players in the world ranking.
As if to illustrate golf’s wild unpredictability, only one of those players ( Jason Day) will begin Sunday’s final round in the top 10. Jordan Spieth, the world’s No. 1 player, barely made the cut.
That’s too bad, because a Mickelson-Spieth duel, or Mickelson-Day, would create cool final-round theater.
Instead, Mickelson will try to fend off an unheralded pack of challengers. The six players in closest proximity — Iwata, Jacobson, Kang, Roberto Castro, Jonas Blixt and Chez Reavie — have combined for only four PGA Tour wins.
Mickelson surged into the lead by avoiding costly mistakes on another sunny if slightly breezy day at Pebble. He started his round at No. 10, chipped in for birdie at No. 18 and then reeled off three consecutive birdies at Nos. 5 through 7.
He made his move on the most rollicking day of the tournament. The crowds were out in force at Pebble, site of the customary A-list celebrity parade — from Bill Murray and Mark Wahlberg to Toby Keith and Wayne Gretzky to Justin Timberlake and Steve Young.
They found the loudest spectators, as usual, near the No. 15 tee. That’s where a group of fans formed “Club 15” in 2004 and annually return to enliven the scene. They wore black T-shirts on Saturday and plopped a black leather couch on the grass next to a sign proclaiming, “Professional Support for the Amateur Golfer.”
Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers seemed to appreciate the support, though maybe not the volume. Club 15 ignored golf’s traditional demand for silence, cheering steadily — and then breaking into an outright roar — as Rodgers whacked his tee shot into the distance.
Rodgers then planted himself on the couch and signed a few autographs as the other amateur in his group, actor Chris O’Donnell, hit his tee shot. O’Donnell swung with Club 15 patrons loudly break- ing into song, as if they were attending a soccer match in Europe.
Or watching golf on Saturday at the AT&T.
“It’s been a while since I’ve been in contention, and it would mean a lot to me to be able to play a good final round.”
Phil Mickelson