Mickelson miracle wins Crowne Plaza
IN: News | US PGA | Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (2008) | Round Four | by Bruce Young | 26 May 2008
Phil Mickelson produced what is likely to become the shot of the year on the PGA Tour when his second to the 72nd hole of the Crown Plaza Invitational at Colonial, essentially secured his second win at the famed Colonial Country Club.
A miraculous Mickelson approach from the left hand trees and over the bunker guarding the front left of the green came to rest 10 feet from the hole and the resultant birdie gave the 37-year-old a one shot victory over Australia’s Rod Pampling and South Africa’s Tim Clark.
Mickelson had been engaged in a battle royal throughout the final round with Rod Pampling but when the late emerging Tim Clark birdied the 16th and 17th, he moved into a share of second with Mickelson, just one behind Pampling.
Pampling had passed the third round leader, Mickelson, early on day four with an outward nine of 32 and headed into the back nine with a two shot lead over Mickelson and three over Clark. Pampling’s run of birdies slowed but he was doing enough to stay in front, although Mickelson would move closer when he birdied the par five 11th.
Both Mickelson and Pampling made fine par saves at the 15th and 16th respectively but at the 17th, Pampling’s tee shot was right and found the drain running adjacent to that fairway. He was forced to take a penalty drop and then found the greenside bunker. In the end he managed a very impressive up and down for bogey, but he had fallen back into a tie with Mickelson and Clark who was by then in the clubhouse with a final round of 66.
Mickelson was first to hit at the last and found the left hand trees a long way from the fairway. He was blocked from the green by the tall trees ahead and the ball’s position would also mean a shot from a hanging lie. On the angle from which he was approaching the green, Mickelson would also need to carry the front left bunker if he was to access the flag but perhaps more realistically even a par would be a great result. This was the adventurous and brilliant Mickelson however and he hit a high cut wedge over the trees that landed gently over the trap. The ball released to ten feet right of the hole. It was the most stunning shot at exactly the right moment.
Back in the fairway Pampling had only a very short iron to the last and hit a poor approach some 45 feet short. From there he left his first putt five feet short and then was forced to wait while Mickelson lined up his putt. It never left the perfect line and the birdie gave Mickelson the victory and his 34th career victory on the PGA Tour.
Pampling holed his par save and he and Clark finished as joint runners up, each earning cheques for US$536,000.
For Pampling it moves his career PGA and Nationwide Tour earnings to over the US$10 million mark. For Clark, who has yet to win on the PGA Tour he too has moved to US$10,600,000 in PGA Tour earnings, the most by any player without a victory.
Geoff Ogilvy recorded his best finish at this event when 7th; his second round of 64 the highlight in what was a good week. Nathan Green finished 26th after a final round of 67, Nick O’Hern was 33rd while Steve Elkington and Mathew Goggin were 46th.
The PGA Tour now moves to Dublin in Ohio for this week’s Memorial Tournament.
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