LA QUINTA, CA - JANUARY 19: Phil Mickelson plays his shot from the second tee during the first round of the CareerBuilder Challenge in Partnership with The Clinton Foundation at La Quinta Country Club on January 19, 2017 in La Quinta, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
The AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am wraps up on Monday, February 11. It’s said that the weekend broadcasts are some of the worst golf in sports. The pace of play is downright brutal. For golf fans, they dread the one week a year where Wayne Gretzky and Larry the Cable Guy tee up together. Yes, it’s a beautiful course. The golfing, not so much.
Even the pros held that trend together. Phil Mickelson and Paul Casey were the final pairs of the tournament. They took more than two hours to play the first six holes. They battled both a week that soaked the course, a random hail storm and then a long delay on Sunday morning until they could tee off. Sunset loomed at 5:40 PM PST. Even with Mickelson and the lowered expectations, there was little watchable golf played Sunday.
The final hour of Sunday did redeem the rest of the weekend though. Mickelson got into a groove, fighting against both the clock and his opponent, Casey. With the impending suspension of play due to darkness, PGA Tour rules chief Mark Russell joined the two as they walked out to the 16th hole. When he asked about continuing to play, Mickelson joked that he wanted to finish the 16 and then play all the way. Casey, who wasn’t swinging good, wanted to call it a night. Still, Phil insisted he could see the ball fine.
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Though Mickelson is a tour Legend, Casey stood up to him, refusing to even putt on the 16th. The tour blew the horn to suspend play. Mickelson, standing at the next hole already, was shocked.
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