SAN DIEGO — Phil Mickelson experienced big-time phone trouble Thursday during the opening round of the U.S. Open. Not the Verizon or T-Mobile kind of trouble. Not the restart-the-darn-thing kind of trouble.
More like, “I’m playing in the national championship, working on a career grand slam, and phones are chirping like birds” trouble.
Three times at Torrey Pines, Mickelson stood over his second shot on No. 13, the same hole where he carded a third-round 9 to torpedo his 2008 Open. Three times, an unrelenting technological uprising forced him to step away.
“Put it on silent, please,” came the first plea.
“PLEASE,” came the second.
“Seriously?” came the third, as a police office swooped in to address what, today, is almost un-addressable.
When elusive silence finally arrived, Mickelson rocketed the ball to the other side of the fairway and into thick brush that required a drop. That led to a second bogey through four holes, bruising a round that ended at 4-over 75.
At a U.S. Open, each lash on the scorecard draws more blood than normal.
Uphill climb, can you hear me now?
“I don’t understand why you just can’t turn that little button on the side to silent,” Mickelson said when asked about the maddening moment. “I probably didn’t deal with it internally as well as I could have, or as well as I need to. It’s part of playing the game out here at this level.
“Certainly, I didn’t do the best job.”
Galleries swarmed the ropes during Mickelson’s lap around the South Course, as expected. They brought phones, fat thumbs and operating miscues with them.
Distractions already swarmed Mickelson, coming off his historic PGA Championship victory last month and 51st birthday Wednesday. From the time he stepped into a tee box, the bombardment of “C’mon, Phil,” “Let’s go, Lefty” and orders to “activate those calves” echoed.
The throng was starved to connect with the conquering local lion in even the briefest, most fleeting way with a subtle wink or cap tip. The attention they craved arrived in ways no one wanted on 13.
“It’s the video ding,” said Mickelson, explaining the unwanted noise. “They just kept going off. Look, it did it the next three or four shots thereafter, too, so it’s not like that’s the first time. It’s just that you had to ask three times.
“Again, it’s part of the game. It’s part of professional golf.”
For the record, Mickelson did not bring up any of the commotion. He responded when the topic turned up, though, splitting blame between our modern obsession with electronics and his inability to hit mental mute.
Another bogey cropped up on No. 15, his sixth hole of the day after beginning the day on the back nine. A birdie on 17 stabilized things for the next six holes. Back-to-back bogeys on 6 and 7 transformed a potentially survivable 2-over into something that felt dented and different.
So much of the overflowing interest was well intentioned, without doubt. A crowd surrounding the No. 12 tee belted out a full rendition of “Happy Birthday” as Mickelson offered a thumbs up in return.
“They wished him a happy birthday on just about every hole, every 50 yards,” said fellow San Diegan and playing partner Xander Schauffele, who finished 2-under. “I don’t know if he enjoyed that, but I’m sure he felt the love.”
A hole later, the accompanying audio of his round shifted from sweet to sour.
“I had one go off right in my down swing on 14,” Schauffele said. “Fortunately, I kind of just (manned) up and hit the shot and was laughing shortly after. If that ball was going left, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be smiling. I think we’ll give the fans a little break. They haven’t been out in a while, either.
“But if they could silence their phones and the photos and everything, that would be great for us.”
There’s little argument that Mickelson’s most recent history at Torrey Pines and sitting at No. 199 in PGA Tour driving accuracy make him a decided longshot versus the U.S. Open’s thick and grouchy rough.
Most rooted for a distraction-free round, though, to learn if Mickelson planned to again surprise us and the game itself. You wanted to see the six-time Open bridesmaid fuel the chase for his personal Holy Grail. You wanted him to stoke the sexy storyline as long as Torrey’s stubborn kikuyu grass allowed.
Instead … chirp … beep … buzz.
The unraveling on 13 a symmetrical 13 years ago undoubtedly planted a bit of dark dread about the U.S. Open hole somewhere in Mickelson’s head. When he struck his drop from under the shade of a Torrey pine, it one-hopped the flagstick before skittering into the greenside rough.
The stretch could have tail-spun into something worse.
“I hammered it,” Mickelson said. “But it was going to be 40 feet; it was going to be way past, too. It was coming in really hot. It’s not like it was going to be close. So, the fact that I made 6 there, that’s all I was trying to do.”
Now, Mickelson must string together one of the best rounds of his career Friday to remain in the Open hunt.
He’ll start by blocking out the noise … or noises.
“You have to be able to let that go and not let it get to you and be able to kind of compose yourself and re-gather your thoughts and so forth,” Mickelson said. “But they certainly didn’t do me any favors, either.”
That came through loud and uncomfortably clear.
