MELBOURNE, Australia – To sit, or not to sit. That was the question that was, ultimately, answered by Phil Mickelson himself.
According to U.S. Presidents Cup captain Fred Couples, the decision to sit Lefty in Saturday’s afternoon fourball session and break up his flawless pairing with Jim Furyk was the veteran’s.
“You know, he’s played three straight matches and we want him really fresh for the singles. And he asked to sit, if needed be, the same as David Toms,” said Couples, who will send Furyk out in the afternoon’s anchor match with Nick Watney.
This will be the first time Mickelson has not played all five matches since 1998 and breaks up a flawless run for Lefty that began at the 2005 matches. Since going 0-5-0 in 2003 in South Africa he’s 9-1-5 in Presidents Cup play.
“We talked about it. I wanted to take the afternoon off if it was possible. This gives me a chance to get ready for my singles match,” said Mickelson, who was diagnosed with Psoriatic arthritis in 2010 and turned 41 in June.