Phil Mickelson Hits Ball Into Spectator Shorts

Phil Mickelson Hits Ball Into Spectator Shorts, Phil Mickelson hit one tree, threaded a shot through five trees, hit a drive that wound up in a spectator’s shorts, and somehow managed a 1-under 70 to share the lead with US PGA champion Keegan Bradley in the Northern Trust Open on Saturday.


Bradley, inspired by a Riviera course that is one of his favorites, took only five putts over the final five holes, including a 10-footer for par on the last hole, for a 5-under 66 that assured him of being in the final group.

The par was meaningful because he wanted to play on Sunday with Mickelson, a mentor to him.

There’s no telling what to expect in the final round. The phrase “routine par” was not part of Mickelson’s vocabulary on a beautiful afternoon off Sunset Boulevard.

Mickelson played one chip well past the hole on the par-3 6th so it would roll off the bank some 25 feet behind the cup and roll back. He made a 12-footer for his par.

The only disappointment was not taking advantage of enough birdie chances, twice missing birdie putts inside 8 feet and failing to give himself a good look on the par-5 17th when his wedge rolled off the front of the green.

Mickelson and Bradley were at 7-under 206, though this is hardly a two-man race at Riviera.

A dozen players were within four shots of the lead going into the final round, including defending champion Aaron Baddeley (66), Dustin Johnson (67) and FedEx Cup champion Bill Haas (68).