It is true. Golf
can be cruel.
Phil Mickelson appeared to be on his way to his first ever 59 (or even lower) in an official PGA event. He had birdied 10 of the first 13 holes, with no offsetting bogies.
Through 16 holes, he was 11 under on the par-71 course. A birdie on either of the last two holes (accompanied by a par on the other one) would do the trick.
Following a par on hole 8 (Mickelson had started on the back nine), Mickelson hit an approach shot on the ninth hole to within 25 feet, five inches of the cup. A makeable birdie putt--but certainly far from an easy one.
Still, when Mickelson finally did stroke the ball, it looked good. Very good.
As the ball approached the hole, it clipped the edge, and began circling the cup.
But it was circling on the
inside of the cup. So it looked to be in the process of a lip-in.
Mickelson began what looked like an early celebration, in anticipation of the inevitable.
Yet somehow, the ball kicked out of the cup.
Ouch!
Under most circumstances, a 60--especially on a par-71 course (not a par-70 course--would be cause for exuberance.
But not this time.
Even if Mickelson should go on to win the tournament (which is far from a sure thing; as the old saying goes, one can lose a golf tournament on Thursday--but one cannot win it on Thursday), the benchmark 59 is gone.
Oh, here is a link to the story:
PGA.com | The Official Home of The PGA of America
