
Tips appreciatedDespite bad round, Mickelson proves he's great tipperPosted: Saturday March 4, 2006 8:42PM; Updated: Saturday March 4, 2006 8:42PM
MIAMI (Ticker) - Phil Mickelson may not be the best golfer on the PGA Tour, but he is the best tipper. Mickelson's generous tips are legendary -- he reportedly once left $700 for a waiter after a cheap meal -- and he was in fine form Saturday at the Ford Championship at Doral, where his second shot at the par-5 10th hit a spectator in the gallery, breaking the man's watch. Some players would think they were being generous by handing out a golf ball, but Mickelson did better than that, whipping out two $100 bills to pay for the damage he had caused. "It wasn't a Rolex," Mickelson joked, when asked why he hadn't given more. But the rest of the round was no laughing matter as Mickelson frittered away some birdie opportunities before bogeying the 16th and 18th holes to fall four shots behind leader Tiger Woods. "A couple of bogeys coming in hurt obviously and I'll have to get that straightened out for tomorrow," he said. "I just need a couple of those putts to go in and I think I might have a low round in me." If Mickelson was disappointed with his finish, so was Camilo Villegas, the pride of Colombia, who was only one stroke from the lead going to the 18th, only to make a double bogey. Villegas' problems started when he pushed his drive behind a banyan tree, and had to pitch out sideways to the adjacent first fairway. He then hit an 8-iron over a grandstand to the heart of the green, only to three-putt, missing a three-footer, much to the disappointment of his enthusiastic gallery. "I had no shot. I was going to go to the 18th fairway, but it was going to be a tricky shot," Villegas said. "I was going to have to bounce it in the rough and hope for a good bounce and stay in the fairway. Then my caddie goes 'how about we take a look to the right' so we just went through everything again. I think I made the right call." It was a disappointing way to end, and it certainly deflated his fans, but judging by the number of Spanish-speaking media who spoke to Villegas after his round, he is well on his way to superstardom on at least one continent if he keeps playing like this. © 2006 SportsTicker Enterprises, LP |
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