Hardly flagging despite a penalty
Mickelson out of final round but he had fun
NORTON - Where one year ago he had a prize of $1.26 million at the end of his Deutsche Bank Championship week, this time around Phil Mickelson had a penalty stroke tucked in the middle.
What a difference a year makes.
Yet, the lefthander remained committed to a point of view he's repeated often and one that can be validated. He has, after all, a pair of wins in Hartford to go with his triumph at TPC Boston last year, which isn't to mention a runner-up finish to Brad Faxon at Pleasant Valley in his rookie season, 1992.
"I enjoy playing golf in the New England area and I certainly love this golf course," he said.
Granted, Mickelson had just shot a pedestrian 1-over-par 72 and fall to 2-under 211 and miss out on a chance to play in today's final round, but he was still a fan of TPC Boston, where one year ago he won with a 16-under 268.
"It's terrific. We've had so many weeks where [our courses] just beat you up, it's nice to have a week where you can make some birdies. Unfortunately, I didn't make enough."
Having birdied two of his final three holes Saturday to make the cut on the number, Mickelson needed a solid Round 3. Instead, he bogeyed the par-4 first and never got on track.
When he stood over a 5-foot putt to save par at the ninth and the ball "moved a half-turn," he backed off and shook his head. After he sank the putt, Mickelson approached the walking scorer and made sure it was known he had made a bogey.
"I had already addressed the ball," he said, and, yes, he added that it was indicative of the way things went for him this week.
On the course, that is, because off it there was yet another memorable night at Fenway Park. He and wife Amy took their three children to a Red Sox game and for a second straight year it was quite a night. Last year they saw rookie Clay Buchholz throw a no-hitter; this time around it was Michael Bowden in his major league debut who provided the thrills.
"Our kids are becoming big Red Sox fans," said Mickelson.
What remains to be seen is where the lefthander shows up next.
He is scheduled for the BMW Championship in St. Louis starting Thursday, but when asked if he were playing, Mickelson didn't give a firm commitment. So, stay tuned.
European union
Paul Casey and Ian Poulter left TPC Boston late Saturday in disgust, having shot 73 and 74, respectively, to miss the cut, but their moods were rejuvenated yesterday when they were named to the European Ryder Cup team by captain Nick Faldo. Of course, the bigger news was the bypassing of the popular Darren Clarke, who had been seen by many as a lock for one of the picks.
Cleaning out his locker at TPC Boston a day after he, too, had missed the cut, Padraig Harrington told an Associated Press reporter that he "was shocked." Then, after a few moments, Harrington diplomatically said that two great players had been chosen.
After shooting 68 -199 to get into a tie for third, Sergio Garcia said, "I thought Paul was pretty much a lock, and because of the way Darren has been playing lately, I thought maybe he would get the other one. [But] I think they're both good picks."
Brotherly love
Mickelson's caddie, Jim Mackay flew to Vermont for his brother's wedding late Saturday ("I got there five minutes before it started," he said), then was chauffeured home in the wee hours of the morning. He said he got just under three hours of sleep before getting to the course to work his player's 8:07 tee time . . . As luck would have it, the American Ryder Cup team got in some unscheduled bonding, because over the first two days there were two pairings that featured three teammates: Mickelson with Justin Leonard and Anthony Kim, and Stewart Cink with Kenny Perry and Ben Curtis. All six players made the 36-hole cut, as did the other two players who had earned automatic spots on the team, Jim Furyk and Boo Weekley . . . Mickelson and Leonard were paired together for a third straight day yesterday . . . Maybe you've never heard of Kevin Streelman, but Patrick O'Leary of Milton sure has. Volunteering as a standard-bearer, O'Leary has had the Streelman pairing two straight days.
They're bogey men
Three players went the first 36 holes without a bogey - Curtis, Furyk, and John Mallinger. Curtis bogeyed No. 1 in Round 3, while Furyk and Mallinger ran their streaks to 43 holes before bogeys at the par-3 eighth . . . Whereas there were 15 bogey-free rounds Friday and 13 Saturday, only three players (Camilo Villegas, Chad Campbell, Tom Pernice Jr.) turned the trick in Round 3 . . . The 10 eagles came at the par-5 second (Tim Herron), the par-4 fourth (Brandt Snedeker, John Senden), and par-5 18th (Leonard, Briny Baird, Angel Cabrera, Ernie Els, Lucas Glover, Frank Lickliter, and Charlie Wi). For the week, there have been 43 eagles, with 18 at the 18th . . . Tim Clark received some good notoriety for making a pair of eagles in Saturday's second round, the 23d time that has happened this year. The only thing is, Trevor Immelman (second, 18th) and Hunter Mahan (par-4 fourth, 18) also made two eagles and that's the first time this year three players have made two eagles in a round . . . Grounds passes for today's final round are available for walk-ups and will be sold at the gate.
Jim McCabe can be reached at jmccabe@globe.com. 