ARDMORE, Pa. — Phil Mickelson, already a crowd favorite, scored plenty of brownie points earlier in the week by attending his daughter’s eighth-grade graduation Wednesday night in California before flying cross-country to Philadelphia for the opening round of the 113th U.S. Open on Thursday morning.
It made him a leading candidate for Father of the Year on a Father’s Day weekend. Never mind that he traveled on a private airplane complete with a full-size bed. It was his commitment to put fatherhood ahead of golf that made him the sentimental favorite before the first competitive ball was struck.
Then again, Mickelson has been a sentimental favorite for some time, especially at the U.S. Open, where he has endured some of the most heartbreaking defeats of his career. His five runner-up finishes (1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009) are as much a part of his golfing legacy as his three wins at the Masters.
Today, Mickelson has a chance to change all that by capturing his long-sought-after first U.S. Open title. He enters the final round with a one-stroke lead after a shooting an even-par 70 yesterday to stand 1-under for the tournament. He will attempt to win his fifth major on his 43rd birthday today, creating the potential for a Happy Father’s Day and a Happy Birthday all in one.
“It’s got the makings of something special,” Mickelson said.
When Mickelson steps to the first tee on the East Course at Merion, he will be bathed in applause. But he also will carry with him the baggage of all those past disappointments in this major. When he lost his duel with Payne Stewart at Pinehurst in 1999, Stewart told him not to sweat the defeat because he was about to become a father. Amanda soon was born, and it was her graduation Mickelson attended this week.
You figured after Pinehurst it only would be a matter of time before Mickelson would win the U.S. Open. Fourteen years later, we’re still waiting.
The meltdown on the 72nd hole at Winged Foot in 2006 won’t be forgotten unless Mickelson wins a U.S. Open. He forever will be questioned for his decision to hit driver off the 18th tee when bogey would have been good enough for a playoff. Instead, he hit his drive way left and took double bogey to blow the championship. His famous “I’m such an idiot” quote only endeared him to his fans because he voiced what everyone was thinking.
His tough luck continued at Bethpage in 2009 when he bogeyed two of the last three holes and finished two strokes behind champion Lucas Glover.
Today, Mickelson has his chance to erase all of the nightmares and capture the one elusive prize he most covets. This is an opportunity he cannot waste.
“I feel better equipped than I’ve ever felt heading into the final round of a U.S. Open,” Mickelson said. “My ball-striking is better than it’s ever been and my putting is better than it has been in years. I feel very comfortable on this golf course.”
There is plenty of reason to believe this could be Mickelson’s moment. He stayed atop the leaderboard yesterday, thanks to a strong back nine that had the gallery roaring its approval. Back-to-back birdies on the 10th and 11th got him to even par on the day. When he drained a 10-foot uphill putt for birdie at the difficult par-3 17th, he had a one-stroke lead at 2-under for the tournament.
“It was fun to do that because that’s not a hole you expect to get one back,” he said.
Mickelson left a 15-footer to save par at the 18th one roll short. But his even-par round was enough to be the only player under par through 54 holes. Now, he has to bury his U.S. Open demons and finish the job. With Father Time closing in, Mickelson can’t afford to waste his moment at Merion.
george.willis@nypost.com