2019 PGA Championship: Phil Mickelson had the wildest hole and *almost* saved par anyway

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — Phil Mickelson isn’t anywhere near the lead at the PGA Championship this week, but he remains the undisputed fan favorite at Bethpage. He plays with the fans at his back and his heart on his sleeve, and there was no better illustration of why fans continue to hear from him than his performance on the 16th hole on Sunday.

It started on the tee. Phil, nine over at that point, pulled driver on the 490-yard par-4 and carved one so far left he had to hit a provisional. His next one was basically the polar opposite — a hard pull draw right.

Just two *slightly* different shots there from Phil Mickelson 🙃 pic.twitter.com/sw0TYQE1WB

— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) May 19, 2019

But, thankfully, Phil found his first drive. It was buried deep in the rough. A simple pitch back into the fairway for most, but not Phil Mickelson, who pulled a fairway wood (!!!) and tried to slice his ball down the fairway and roll it up towards the green.

Most Phil Mickelson image ever pic.twitter.com/rOp8qb4Wfa

— Riggs (@RiggsBarstool) May 19, 2019

His ball ended back in the fairway and left him with a wedge into the green from 77 yards. He knocked that shot to six feet and had a great look for an epic par save, but unfortunately, let his putt slip by and had to settle for a bogey. He finished the tournament 12 over — not the showing he would’ve wanted, but he remains Bethpage’s moral victor.

“We shattered the old (thumbs up) record. My game struggled because of it… I’m just kidding.” 👍@PhilMickelson checks in with @Amanda_Balionis after his final round at Bethpage Black. #PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/fsnhLJNDs5

— PGA of America (@PGA) May 19, 2019

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