Scottsdale's Michelson, A Class Act Then and Now

Posted By Dave Wells on Nov 1, 2015

Let’s Talk Phil Mickelson And The Game Of Golf

By Dave Wells

It was in the early 1990s when I first saw a golfer named Phil Mickelson. More precisely, it was in the spring of 1992 after Nancy and I had moved to Scottsdale.

I went to the Pinnacle Peak Country Club (PPCC) pro shop to introduce myself as a new member to the head pro, Hub Goyen. Goyen was a very good golfer who had spent time on the Champions Tour.

Some PPCC members were at the counter checking in for their tee times, so I stayed in the back of the shop. I noticed a young golfer standing nearby. When the members left, the young golfer and I headed to the counter at the same time. I told him, “You go first.” He then introduced himself to me as Phil Mickelson, the captain of the Arizona State University (ASU) golf team. Then he said to the golf pro, “I just wanted to thank you and your staff for letting our golf team practice and play your golf course today.” I’ll never forget that experience even though I didn’t know who Phil Mickelson at the time. Now I remember that he was a class act, even years ago.

In the same year, 1992, a couple of months later after Phil’s third N.C.A.A. individual title for ASU, Phil met Jim Mackay(Bones), his new caddy, before a 36-hole United States Open Qualifier at Farmington Country Club in Germantown, Tennessee (now the Germantown Country Club). Phil qualified with scores of 69 – 63; the “63” is still the course record. The U. S. Open that year (1992) at Pebble Beach was Phil’s first tournament as a golf professional and he and “Bones”‘ have been together for 22 years since that day.

Even with all the acclaim, on Mickelson remains a class act. His participation in the recent FedEx St. Jude Golf Tournaments at TPC-Southwind made the tournament a total success. There were bigger galleries and more fans. More than that, Phil signed every autograph after the completion of every round. In fact, I lined up one year to get his autograph on a 2004 issue of GOLFWEEK Magazine that had a picture of Michelson. The cover proclaimed in bold letters “I DID IT” and the article inside described his first winning the Masters. As he signed the cover, I told him I was a former member of PPCC in Scottsdale. His response to me was “Cool.”

Dave Wells enjoys a beer at Greasewood Flat. Photo courtesy of Dave Wells.

My wife and I did walk a hole or two with Phil’s wife, Amy, during the Ryder Cup in 1999 at Brookline, Massachusetts. I remember that she was cheering for her hubby and the U.S.A. every step of the way. I can still feel the excitement of Justin Leonard making that incredible putt on # 17.

So in my mind, much of the class in the game of golf starts and stops with a golfer named Phil Mickelson. Phil, thanks for coming to TPC Southwind, then and now, you remain a class act.