Phil Mickelson goes undefeated in 11th Presidents Cup appearance
Phil Mickelson was supposed to step aside and let some younger blood get a taste of playing for the United States. At 30th in the final Presidents Cup points standings, he should not have even been on U.S. captain Jay Haas’ radar.
However, it was the other players on Haas’ team that made up the captain’s mind for him. They wanted the 45-year-old five-time major champion to ride with them in South Korea.
The players made a great choice.
Mickelson went 3-0-1 this week, joining Zach Johnson, who sported the same record, as the only undefeated American players on the 12-player squad. Turns out the two oldest guys on the team were the most pivotal to their success.
The left-hander, who came into the week with a can-do attitude that helped captain Haas, was just about everything else, too, outside the ropes. He was comic relief, even if Bubba Watson said he sometimes laughed at Mickelson’s quips out of a combination of pity and respect. He was source of controversy, costing his team a half-point because he improperly used a second model of golf ball in a Friday match. He was the bulletin-board material when he mocked his International opponents for not taking full advantage of and a full point from his ball gaffe. And he was the team mascot, letting other players rub his belly for good luck and serving as a needed in-match distraction.
Had Haas picked any other player, there’s a chance they could have performed as well. However, there’s little chance that player would have meant as much to the team and the story of the 2015 Presidents Cup in the way Mickelson did.
Mickelson loved every minute of it.
“I love these team events. They are my favorite weeks of the year,” Mickelson said afterward. “I love playing with these guys. I love the emotions that we share and the intensity and the pressure that we deal with each match throughout the week.”
It showed. Mickelson called his shots. He celebrated the highs and rallied from the lows. He lifted up his teammates, being the first to his feet when Chris Kirk made a critical birdie on the 18th hole of his Sunday singles match against Anirban Lahiri. Mickelson, a certain future captain of an American team either in the Presidents or Ryder Cup, isn’t ready to trade in his clubs and swagger for a headset and a cart.
“I hope that I have an opportunity to compete in more Presidents Cups,” he said.
Now as the Ryder Cup cycle officially begins in earnest, Mickelson is hoping to not only make the Hazeltine-bound American team, but that captain Davis Love III won’t need to make a tough call like Haas did in bringing him on the team.
“I’m certainly looking forward to next year’s Ryder Cup as well,” Mickelson said. “And I hope that I don’t put the captain in a position where he has to pick me this time. I hope that I will be able to make it on my own.”
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
