Getting Our Phil

by Vic Williams | posted June 19, 2010

The golf bodysnatchers must have scored a couple tickets to this year’s U.S. Open on Friday, because it wasn’t the same Phil Mickelson who teed off on No. 1 about 1:30 p.m., an hour after Tiger Woods sputtered to a 1-over 72 that has him on the outside looking in, four over par.

Phil’s amazing reversal was evident after his first six shots, the last of which settled three feet from the pin on No. 2 for the first of five birdies in Phil’s opening eight holes, followed by another one at 11. After a Thursday round in which he putted like most of the human race and started to get the hangdog “WTF” look we’ve seen at so many majors — at least those he found a way to lose before his Masters breakthrough in 2004 — he was bodysnatched, transformed and otherwise one-eighty’d to within a couple shots of the lead held by 30-year-old Brit Graeme McDowell, who fired 68 to post a halfway mark of three under par.

Suddenly Mickelson was firing at flags and making many of the putts he stood over; even after cooling off a bit down the stretch, he deepened his groove and turned yet another U.S. Open into what could be first as champion, and his second major in a row, leaving him at the turn toward a possible Mickelslam. It all depends on which guy shows up starting Saturday.

It won’t be easy, not by any stretch. There is Tiger, of course, by no means out of it at seven shots behind, as he proved last year at Bethpage Black, when he made a furious final round charge only to falter late and finish a handful of shots back. That was pre-scandal Tiger, however, and he doesn’t appear to have the same mojo to push everyone else out of his way, though he isn’t discounting his chances.

“I just need to keep progressing and keep moving my way up the board,” he said in characteristic Tiger-speak.  “It's a long haul. The U.S. Open is not going to get easier as the week goes on.  Especially on the weekend.  And from what I hear it's supposed to be overcast, so I'm sure there will be a few more birdies than we normally would see.”

And the other guys have been making them.

Others

There is Ernie Els, who with a nicely crafted 68 of his own finds himself two shots out and in great shape to score his third Open win and first in 13 years.

There  is Dustin Johnson, who has won the last two AT&Ts and obviously has a thing for Pebble Beach.

There is K.J. Choi, as tough a bulldog as there is out there. There is Ian Poulter, he of the plaid slacks and confident air. There is fellow Englishman Paul Casey, who knows how to win on both sides of the Atlantic now.

In reality, anyone within six or seven shots of the lead has a fighting chance to pull this thing out. If the wind settles Saturday and the marine layer stays over the Monterey Peninsula like a birdie-incubating blanket, anyone could go on a Phil-like runner and notch a 66 or even 65. It’ll take laser approaches and steely nerves over the putter, but as we saw Friday with Mickelson, it’s doable.

“Well, it's been such a long time since I won one of these,” said the Big Easy.  But we've got a long way to go.  Obviously, I needed a round like today to get me back in the tournament, which is nice.  We've just got to look at conditions.  I feel comfortable with my game, you know.  I worked really hard coming in here.  So I feel my game's there, which is nice, because you need your game around a U.S. Open venue.”

One thing that won’t happen: A runaway on the level of Tiger’s in 2000. Even the frontrunner doesn’t expect to put any distance between himself and the impressive bunch at his heels, though that doesn’t mean he won’t give it his all.

“Winning major championships is what I've dreamed of all my life and what I've practiced for,” he said after his solid, if unspectacular round.  “Over the seven or eight years I've been playing in them there's no doubt I've been learning more and more about myself and what it takes to win a major."

“I feel — like I say, I feel I'm as ready as I'm ever going to be.  That doesn't mean my name's on the trophy this Sunday afternoon. There's a hell of a lot of work to do.  This course is ready to bite you any second.  I'm going to be relaxed and disciplined and try to keep control of my emotions and see where that leaves me Sunday afternoon.”

Whether it’s McDowell or Phil or somebody else hoisting the hardware, we all know where we’ll be when it happens, don’t we?

OUTSIDE THE ROPES

WONDER BUSES: In comparison to the 2000 Open, this one is running like clockwork despite an infrastructure that’s almost beyond comprehension — just the wires running alongside most fairways make my head spin — and operational details that take years of planning. At the media and spectator level, the whole thing would fall apart without a solid transportation system, and this time they’ve nailed it. Despite occasional traffic jams and other hiccups, the buses keep running on time and everybody gets to where they need to be.

“Somebody should be writing about that,” said one media bus driver Friday. “We’re doing such a great job, the event’s organizers are leaving us alone. They know we know what we’re doing.”

Well, my friend, I can’t promise you the newspaper headline you wanted, but I hope this helps let people know that you rock.

QUAIL HOOKY: I couldn’t resist: A good friend of mine invited me to get in a round of golf at Quail Lodge, which is an easy 15-minute drive from Pebble, in Carmel Valley. So while Tiger grinded in round two, Frank and I enjoyed a bucolic, relaxing, cool and utterly satisfying circuit around Quail’s short but by no means easy 18 holes. Conditions are perfect from tee to green, and the surfaces are rolling as smoothly as can be expected after an overly cool spring. Played on mostly flat terrain with just enough elevation change and design surprises to keep you engaged, Quail dishes up a more than worthwhile resort round. One of these days I’ll have to actually stay in one of its villas and take a cruise around the putting course that winds between the rooms. www.quaillodge.com

FANTASTIC FOOD: Back near downtown Monterey, along motel-heavy Fremont Avenue, is the Monterey Cookhouse, whose open kitchen produces as versatile and satisfying a menu of comfort food as any eatery I’ve sampled in this part of the world. Owner Linda Cantrell, who took over for the previous proprietors in August 2008, has transformed the former Monterey Joe’s into a hopping, hip meeting spot for locals and an ever-growing tourist clientele who take the time to break away from the Fisherman’s Wharf/Pacific Grove area. We’ve dined there two nights in a row, and both times I was blown away — the brisket is outstanding, the macaroni and cheese has that homemade touch (as does everything here) and a special off-the-menu item, pulled pork pizza, is downright sublime, served atop a perfectly made thin crust and topped with scallions. Cocktails? There’s only real choice for insiders: The organic margarita, which is stripped down to its essence with tequila, lime juice and agave, and served like a martini. Don’t miss it. www.montereycookhouse.com

Vic Williams is executive editor of Reno, Nev.-based Fairways + Greens magazine, part of the Madavor Media family. He lives in Reno with his wife, two daughters and three dogs. An older son is a specialist in the U.S. Army and a daughter attends the University of Nevada, Reno. He's a lifelong West Coast resident who enjoys golf, writing, reading, music of all genres, movies, the outdoors, cooking and eating. Contact him at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it