Few players are as crafty with a wedge as Phil Mickelson, but the left-hander couldn’t find the range Monday at Qualcomm Stadium with $1 million on the line.
Hitting a 100-yard shot from one end zone during tonight’s Monday Night Football game between the Denver Broncos and his hometown San Diego Chargers, Mickelson completely missed the green and three targets with a 56-degree wedge during the KPMG Chip4Charity.
“I must have had a little bit more adrenaline because the ball was a little bit long,” Mickelson said afterward. “I thought I hit a pretty good shot, but it flew long.”
Based on which target he hit – the $1 million donation was for a shot inside 5 feet – KPMG would donate money to First Book, a non-profit organization that provides books for children in need. Even though Lefty missed the target, the company cut the San Diego native a hometown discount, donating $50,000 (or 20,000 books) for the cause.
The fans booed the shot, as you can hear in the video posted below, but it would not be the last time they voiced their displeasure Monday night: The Chargers coughed up a 24-0 halftime lead to lose, 35-24.
More newsworthy, perhaps: Mickelson appeared on ESPN’s pregame show and answered questions about the recent Ryder Cup. His most compelling quote was this: “I don’t know what happened Sunday,” he said. “I’m still licking wounds from that. It still stings. It’s one of the toughest, most difficult losses I’ve ever had in my career.
“Individually, that and the Winged Foot U.S. Open loss (in 2006) have stung the most. This one still hurts. I really thought we were going to get that win.”
Check out the video of Mickelson’s shot here: