Phil and his ‘amigos’ party on in Presidents Cup
Phil Mickelson made up for a botched selfie with three former presidents in the background and a missed putt in the opening round by sinking a 12-foot birdie on the 18th hole to close Day 2 at the Presidents Cup Friday evening.
He turned more heads with a celebratory dance that included crossing his arms over his chest and thrusting his hips as teammate Kevin Kisner mirrored his movements. Fred Couples, a captain’s assistant on the team, covered his eyes as he watched the pair perform the salute from “The Three Amigos.”
“I can’t dance. I can’t take selfies,” Mickelson said. “But I can putt.”
The Americans danced because they could. After two days, they lead the International team, 8-2, with the weekend to go. Mickelson’s big contribution came on the birdie, and Marc Leishman missed his subsequent putt from the same range. Mickelson and Kisner never led until that hole. The 1-up win was in the books, but Mickelson felt uncertain about his celebration at first. He and Kisner had choreographed it in the morning.
“I thought we biffed it when we were doing it,” he said, “but when I looked back and saw the replay, I think we kind of nailed it actually.”
It was an all-around effort from the Americans. Jordan Spieth and Patrick Reed halved, but the Americans won the four remaining matches. Rickie Fowler and Justin Thomas won, 3 & 2. Kevin Chappell and Charley Hoffman won, 6 & 5, and Dustin Johnson, paired with Brooks Koepka, won, 3 & 2.
The U.S. team, which holds a 9-1-1 record all-time in the event, needs 15.5 points to claim the cup. With the match win, Mickelson, who has played in all 12 Presidents Cups, pulled into a tie with Tiger Woods, who played in eight, for 24 wins in his career. He maintained that this was a unique group of Americans with a high level of talent and camaraderie that keeps them rooting for each other. The American lead is the largest in Presidents Cup annals following two sessions.
“When that momentum gets on your side, you can feel it as a team,” American captain Steve Stricker said. “Really special day for us.”
Nick Price, the International team’s captain, acknowledged another tough day, but insisted, “We’re not laying down. Our guys are going to come out fighting.”
There is a mathematical chance that the Americans could clinch Saturday. There will be four matches of foursomes in the morning and four matches of four balls in the afternoon.
Mickelson maintained that he was tight early in the round. He informed Kisner that he would say something to him if Mickelson started holding the pair back. By the last hole, there was a levity that came with taking the lead for the first time.
“I feel more and more pressure as the years go because I cherish this so much,” Mickelson said.