Playing with Phil Mickelson at the Masters has its benefits  

AUGUSTA, Ga. ­— As the years roll by, for a tiny variety of individuals in a tiny variety of fields, it turns into a factor: You’re a legend, whether or not you prefer it or not. So you would possibly as properly carry your self like one. Enter George Clooney, actor; Bruce Springsteen, musician; Jack Nicklaus, golfer. Living legend, residing legend, residing legend.

Tony Finau, the 34-year-old golfer looking for his first main title, got here up in the recreation watching two {golfing} legends on TV, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson. He performed with Woods when Woods gained the 2019 Masters. He noticed at shut vary what the man, a soon-to-be five-time Masters champion, did to shut and win, and he discovered from it. On Thursday, he performed with Mickelson, a three-time winner at Augusta, for the first time at the Masters. Finau was watching intently. So was the group’s third, Sepp Straka.

“Sepp and I were like, ‘Can you believe how good he hits it?’” Finau stated on Thursday afternoon. Finau had shot one beneath. Straka had shot one over. Mickelson, 53, did, too. That rating, 73, put the two golfers in the center of the pack and in good place to make the 36-hole lower. At final yr’s Masters, Mickelson and Brooks Koepka completed in a tie for second, 4 pictures behind Jon Rahm.

The threesome received to 17. The wind was swirly. All three gamers have been taking part in properly. Two marshals have been about 100 yards wanting the inexperienced. They famous the first shot, stable and in the center of the fairway. The subsequent man was in the center of the fairway, too, 20 yards previous the first participant.

“That’s Phil,” the one marshal stated to the different.

Mickelson has been taking part in, by his requirements, some very extraordinary golf since final yr’s Masters. He completed forty seventh final week in the 54-man area at the LIV Golf occasion at Doral, a course the place he’s gained and infrequently performed properly in the previous. But Augusta is Augusta for him, and that truth was not misplaced on Finau.

On the par-5 thirteenth, Finau performed a curving, electrical shot to the inexperienced off the pine straw. It delivered to thoughts a sure curving electrical shot off the pine straw at 13 that Mickelson as soon as performed, en path to his Masters win in 2010.

“That’s a great shot,” Mickelson stated to Finau.

“His shot there is a little more famous than mine,” Finau stated, speaking to 2 radio broadcasters from Utah, the place Finau lives, and a 3rd reporter. One of the radio males was Bob Casper, son of the Utah golf legend Billy Casper.

“Phil has always been great to play with,” Finau stated. “He’s always giving out compliments when you hit a great shot. It’s been a while since I’ve played with him. He’s on LIV and I’m on Tour, so it’s been a while.”

Finau’s perspective was watch and study, watch and study. Michelson’s swing is as lengthy and clean as Finau’s is brief and fiery. “This dude’s still got it in the tank,” Finau stated. “At his age? It’s quite impressive.”

Finau predicted that Mickelson would play Augusta properly at age 60 and past.

Over the inexperienced on 14 with his second shot, Finau might have performed a conservative, garden-variety, safety-first working chip shot. Instead he hit a Phil Flop to a foot with such deftness that Michelson paid him the final praise: he gave Finau a thumb’s up. A second like that may enhance the remainder of your {golfing} life.

Mickelson is aware of what it’s like, to be a golfer trying to make an affect in the recreation, taking part in with a legend.

“From the start of my career, guys out here have helped educate me and make me aware of what’s going on,” Mickelson stated. “I bear in mind certainly one of the first tournaments I performed as a professional was with Ben Crenshaw. Julie Crenshaw and Amy [Mickelson’s wife] walked round. Amy actually didn’t actually know what a birdie, bogey or par was. Julie Crenshaw shared that with her. Ben shared lots of nice issues with me.

“I’ve had a chance to play with some great past champions here. You always have to pay it forward to all the people that have given us such great opportunities.”

Very cool. But, additionally, what you’ll anticipate from a legend.

When Woods gained his fifth Masters title, Finau, sharing that closing inexperienced with him, approached Woods to shake his hand. Woods let it morphed right into a hug. They signed scorecards side-by-side. All the whereas, Finau was watching. Watching and studying. As Mickelson did when he performed with Crenshaw. As Woods did when he performed with Nicklaus. There’s at all times an earlier era, a present era, a era developing. On it goes.

Michael Bamberger welcomes your feedback at Michael.Bamberger@Golf.com

Michael Bamberger

Golf.com Contributor

Michael Bamberger writes for GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com. Before that, he spent almost 23 years as senior author for Sports Illustrated. After school, he labored as a newspaper reporter, first for the (Martha’s) Vineyard Gazette, later for The Philadelphia Inquirer. He has written a wide range of books about golf and different topics, the most up-to-date of which is The Second Life of Tiger Woods. His journal work has been featured in a number of editions of The Best American Sports Writing. He holds a U.S. patent on The E-Club, a utility golf membership. In 2016, he was given the Donald Ross Award by the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the group’s highest honor.