The Golf Gods Smile on the Smile

After 2 rounds, Phil Mickelson had the PGA Championship locked up, or so it seemed. At 8 under, he held a 3 shot lead over the closest competitor, average guy Jerry Kelly. Phil faltered a bit on Sat. and ended the round tied for the lead at 6 under with Davis Love III.

Sunday arrived and Phil started off well. After 5 holes, Phil took sole possession of the lead at 7 under. But Phil's driver started sputtering at the 6th hole with a missed fairway that led to a bogey. His confidence shaken, Phil bogeyed the very next hole. Two more bogeys over the next 3 holes and it was clear that Phil was leaking more oil than a '71 Ford Pinto. Suddenly, about half-a-dozen were back in contention. Heck, even Tiger Woods looked like he had a chance at 2 under. The greens were firming under an oppressive August sun producing the most difficult conditions of the tournament. Birdies would be rare, pars would be welcome. Phil lost his lead to Steve Elkington and the Wannamaker was slipping away from his grasp. It was turning out to be a wild finish.

But then a not-so-surprising thing happened after Phil hit his approach shot on the 14th hole. Thunderclouds clustered above Baltusrol and suspended play. But it wasn't just a short delay. Although the PGA of America and CBS Sports officials understood the strong possibilities of afternoon thunderstorms, they did not move up the tee times to accommodate a weather delay. As a result, virtually any delay would end play for the day.

Maybe the Golf Gods got all warm and fuzzy from Phil's endorsement winning smile and intervened with a couple of lightning bolts. Whatever the reason, the suspension saved Phil's impending collapse. Phil could bolt his wheels back on and recharge his depleted stamina. The bogey train would be slowed from rain-softened greens and cooler weather. Indeed, playing conditions were much easier on Monday and Phil took advantage to win by a stroke.

Some may think that I may not be happy about Phil's 2nd major win. While it's true that he's not my favorite golfer, Phil happens to be my cash cow, literally. I had money riding on him when he won the Masters last year. Before the start of this year's PGA Championship, my bookie offered me 12-1 odds that Phil would win. I didn't think he would win, but I did like the odds. So I dropped some greenbacks on Phil. He won and so did I. He smiled and so did I. But mine was genuine.

Photo by Hunter Martin/WireImage.com