Phil Mickelson flies into first-round lead at US Open after jetting off home
Lefty lands just hours before tee-off after cross-country flight to attend daughter's graduation ceremony, but hectic schedule seems to pay off
By the time Phil Mickelson got some caffeine in him and began making birdies on the back nine, the fans who braved wild warnings of hail and torrential rain in the opening round of the US Open started to get the idea that something more interesting than the weather was happening at venerable Merion Golf Club.
In a place that oozes history, a modern kind of story was unfolding. Maybe not the kind that would merit a plaque, but for one day at least, it was enough to warm the heart of even the most jaded Philadelphia sports fan.
It might be abnormal, but it actually worked out really well
Ben Hogan and the No1-iron shot he hit to win in Ardmore never seemed more 1950 than it did on this day. Bobby Jones would not have had a clue about jet lag, or why Mickelson had five wedges in his bag but no driver.
Mickelson crossed the country in the middle of the night to get here, though this time it was not some bizarre plan that only he seems to hatch at major championships. It was simply a desire to see his daughter speak at her eighth-grade graduation in Southern California. To him, it was just as important as winning the title that has so painfully eluded him all these years.
"She told me that it's fine. 'Stay, it's the US Open. I know how much you care about it,'" Mickelson said. "And I told her that I want to be there. I don't want to miss that. I don't want to miss her speech. I don't want to miss her graduation."
He didn't, and she delivered for him. Amanda Mickelson - who nearly made history herself once in the US Open - gave a speech that included a reference to the fictional anchorman Ron Burgundy, with her proud dad flashing that big Mickelson grin from the audience.
He ended up delivering, too, not only making his 7.11am tee time, but rallying on his back nine to shoot a three-under 67 for the first-round lead in the clubhouse in the rain-delayed tournament. Just another day in Mickelson's world, or as the fans at Merion reminded him: "PHIL-a-delphia."