Phil Mickelson, a notoriously unwilling traveller before this year, made the most of his inaugural Asian foray, landing one of the most prestigious tournaments on the Asian Tour and delighting in his kids’ new cultural experiences.
Lefty ended a drama-packed day at the Sheshan International Golf Club in Shanghai on Sunday with a second extra hole play-off victory in the $5 million HSBC Champions tournament – the richest event in Asia.
One week after making his Asian debut in Singapore, Mickelson picked up his first victory in the region with a birdie at the par-five 18th hole against England’s Lee Westwood and Ross Fisher.
However, there was a point when it looked like he might have blown his chances in the tournament, which is also sanctioned by the European Tour.
Having established a two-stroke lead after the third round, Mickelson dropped four shots on the back nine.
He scored six on the last hole in regulation and the only reason he was able to make the play-off was because Fisher went one worse with a seven.
The three play-off golfers all scored 10-under-par 278 for the tournament, Mickelson closing wth 76, Fisher scoring 74 and Westwood earning his place in the play-off with a strong 67.
He said on the Asian Tour website:
“I don’t know what to say. I was leading by a lot, and looked like I had control, and had six penalty shots today and ended up two back with three to go and now got in a play-off. I don’t know how the day finished like this … I guess it really doesn’t matter how.â€
Alone in fourth place was American Kevin Stadler, one stroke behind while Fijian Vijay Singh and Ireland’s British Open champion Padraig Harrington were a further stroke back in joint fifth on 280.
England’s Paul Casey and Sweden’s Henrik Stenson were equal on 283 while US Open champion Angel Cabrera, of Argentina, finsihed on 285.
South Africans Retief Goosen and Ernie Els also failed to mount final-day challenges.
Apart from the competition, Mickelson’s Asian excursion was an opportunity for him and his family to absorb a bit of Asian culture.
Previously, Mickelson refused to travel abroad for tournaments because he was away from his family most of the year playing on the PGA Tour.
His kids are now more grown up and he is enjoying the new experience. Talking about the Great Wall of China, he said:
“We walked up and down a little of it. We did go up there and took some pictures and got to see it. I think it’s the most magnificent structure ever built, and I’m so happy that my kids had a chance to see it.â€
And of the Forbidden City, he said:
“I thought that the Forbidden City was a very interesting cultural difference, learning how the Emperor and the Emperess lived for hundreds of years. That was fascinating to us because it’s so different than the way of life in the United States, and so I’m happy that my children can see it and experience a more global education.â€
We are pretty sure Emperors and Emperesses don’t live in China any more, but, yes, it’s certainly different from the US.
:roll:By now Phil must know how to win- he needs to build up a substantial lead to take care of the stupidities that will occur later on- probably on the last nine of the last day.