feeling minnesota
CHASKA, Minn. – The roar echoed across Hazeltine National Golf Club.
That Phil Mickelson can conjure thunder under clear blue skies at the PGA Championship comes as no surprise, but this was a practice round.
Mickelson jolted the folks jammed into the bleachers at the 18th hole off their feet by holing a 12-foot putt.
And it wasn’t even for birdie.
It was an unremarkable putt to save par, though it was hardly inconsequential.
“That was a $100 putt,” Butch Harmon, Mickelson’s swing coach, said afterward.
Mickelson’s putt saved him from reaching into his wallet after an 18-hole match with long-hitting Dustin Johnson. Mickelson’s putt assured a push in their all-square match. As impressed as Harmon was with the nature of the fan reaction, he was more impressed by the nature of Mickelson’s last stroke. He believes Mickelson’s ball striking is sharp enough to win this week. He believes putting was the difference in Mickelson’s runner-up finish at the U.S. Open in June and his close call at the Masters in April, and he suspects it will make the difference again this week.
“Phil played really, really well at the U.S. Open,” Harmon said. “His ball striking's been good. He missed some short putts like he did at the Masters and that probably cost him winning.”
Wednesday marked Mickelson’s first practice round at Hazeltine National this week.
His day began almost as remarkably as it ended. He received a standing ovation.
There’s nothing unusual about Mickelson inspiring that, either, except it came on the driving range before he hit a shot.
Fans squeezed into the bleachers spotted him crossing the bridge to the range, and it was like some head of state had arrived. One by one, they began rising and cheering and even chanting his name.
Of course, it’s noisier than ever around Mickelson now because his fans are cheering for two. Though Amy, Mickelson’s wife, isn’t here as she recovers from breast cancer surgery, she’s here in spirit. Lefty’s legion of fans let him know at every turn that they understand that.
“It’s been flattering, but what’s been interesting is to see how this affects so many people,” Mickelson said. “Everybody has a personal story, because it’s affected everybody’s life. Whether it’s their mother, sister or whether it’s breast cancer or another form of cancer, it’s shocking to me to see how this disease has affected so many people.”
Mickelson will be looking to win the fourth major of his career this week. He skipped the British Open last month to be with Amy and the couple’s three young children. He said he isn’t sure he will be able to play the Presidents Cup in October, and he isn’t sure how many FedEx Cup playoff events he’ll play when they begin later this month. Amy’s treatment will dictate his schedule.
“It’s been an interesting year, and we’ve had some highs and lows,” Mickelson said. “And I think we’ll have some more highs and lows for the next year or two. I think in the end, everything’s going to be fine. But right now, things are day-to-day for us. That’s both golf and not golf.”
Minnesotans made it clear Wednesday that they love Mickelson as much as the New Yorkers who rooted him on at Bethpage Black at the U.S. Open.
With Mickelson making his way to Hazeltine National’s first tee to play with Fred Couples, club professional Ryan Benzel and Johnson, fans stampeded in herd-like fashion to see. They were stacked along the ropes almost the entire length of the first fairway.
Lefty is the opposite of homeless. Almost everywhere Mickelson plays, it feels like a home game. He’ll have a home-field advantage again this week, though he doesn’t necessarily see it that way.
“You still have to execute, you still have to hit shots,” Mickelson said. “You still have to hit the putts and shoot the low score if you expect to win, and nobody else can pull the trigger except for you.”
Dave Pelz focuses on Mickelson’s short-game as a coach, but he feels what the crowds mean to his player’s game.
“I think it’s part of Phil’s personality, and if the crowds weren’t there he would miss them,” Pelz said. “He can get inspired and play out of his mind. I think you saw it at the U.S. Open. I think he just ran out of gas there. If he had a fraction more energy, I believe he would have pulled it if off at the U.S. Open. It was a combination of emotional and physical factors, but he gave it everything he had.
“People say Tiger never gives up, but Phil’s the same way. I’ve never seen Phil give up. I’ve been coaching Phil’s short game for six years now, and I’ve never seen him not try his best over a shot. There’s no give up in Phil.”
It’s part of what Mickelson’s legion of fans love of about him.
“Phil feeds off them,” Harmon said.
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