Phil Mickelson convinces the internet that they should’ve finished the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in the dark, a former Miss America makes a run at the amateur title, and Tiger Woods’ captaincy is off to a solid start.
All that and more in this edition of The Social.
WHAT WE’RE CHIRPING ABOUT
It’s no secret that Phil Mickelson’s creativity extends beyond his short game and all the way to his mouth.
So while plenty of fans watched him pick up his 44th PGA Tour trophy on Monday at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, the moment that the internet will remember forever took place Sunday evening.
As the sun began setting and night fell over the Monterey Peninsula, the 48-year-old went into full used-car-salesman mode to plead his case for finishing in the dark rather than return for a dreaded Monday finish.
And you know what, he was damn convincing. We would’ve bought that used car, you would’ve bought that used car ... everyone but his playing competitor, Paul Casey, would’ve went home with that clunker.
Phil pushed hard to keep playing tonight at Pebble. pic.twitter.com/Y4gSuS8A5k
— Skratch (@Skratch) February 11, 2019
Phil’s claim that “he could see just fine” was topped only by this incredible reaction to the horn blowing, when he realized all hope was lost and you can see the disgust literally sweeping across his face.
The look on Phil’s face when the horn blew. pic.twitter.com/9A2SNz1qvt
— Skratch (@Skratch) February 11, 2019
All of which made Lefty’s reaction to winning Monday morning so oddly satisfying.
Golf Twitter’s new leading man posted a photo of himself with the trophy captioned, “Not much more to say!”
Not much more to say! pic.twitter.com/XGY4gxJOzl
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) February 11, 2019
Classic Phil. Talking the talk all the way to the winner’s circle.
SHE’S ALL THAT
Phil Mickelson left as the champion, but a wild week at Pebble Beach provided more than one winner.
Former Miss America and new Golf Advisor lifestyle correspondent Kira Kazantsev had herself quite a few days at one of the world’s most iconic golf courses.
Kazantsev, who will also host Golf Advisor’s new show, “Golf Advisor Living,” made the three-day amateur cut and eventually ended up finishing in a tie for 18th. Not bad for a 16-handicap whose pro, Ryan Armour, missed the individual cut by four strokes.
Kazantsev, 27, shared the experience with her Instagram followers all week, and then hightailed it to Riviera Country Club to hang out with Tiger Woods and Fred Couples at their inaugural Celebrity Cup ahead of the Genesis Open (more on that in a minute).
Not a bad little week at all.
CELEBRITY GOLF NEVER ENDS
In case you didn’t get your fill of celebrity golf at Pebble Beach, Tiger Woods got a bunch of famous people together on Monday at The Riv for the first ever Celebrity Cup, put on for charity by the Woods’ TGR Foundation.
While the event looked like your standard “famous people playing golf” photo-op, it is interesting to note that Tiger’s team won, defeating Fred Couples’ group of A-listers 18 1/2 to 11 1/2.
That’s got to be a good sign for Woods’ impending Presidents Cup captaincy, right? If he can lead a team of Larry Fitzgerald, Mark Wahlberg, Paige Spiranac, Nick Jonas, Kid Rock and Jerry Rice to victory, well then to quote the great philosophizer Kevin Garnett - “Anything is possible.”
NOTHING-TO-DO-WITH-GOLF VIDEO INTERMISSION
This guy would be perfect for Karaoke N’ Roll.
WANT TO SEE A TRICK?
Francesco Molinari is the the Champion Golfer of the Year and a Ryder Cup hero but that may not be the most impressive thing a Molinari has done recently.
Behold this incredible trick from Francesco’s brother, Edoardo, where he memorizes an entire deck of shuffled cards.
Hidden Talents. Dodo can memorise an entire deck of shuffled cards!
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) February 11, 2019
Yep, here's the proof ♠️♦️♣️♥️🃏 pic.twitter.com/rok0i3Zlbg
Edoardo - who in a major twist of irony goes by the nickname “Dodo” - is no slouch on the golf course himself, with three European Tour wins on his resume.
However, after this Rain Man-esque display, a future involving the blackjack tables could definitely be in the cards.
ALL THAT JAZZ
With all due respect to Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Crenshaw, Brad Faxon and whoever else you want to throw in there, the most clutch putter of our lifetime appeared out of the blue last week during a Utah Jazz game.
During a break in the action, Jazz fan Andrew Andreasen got a chance to make a series of five putts to win a cash reward totaling nearly $9,000. And he drained them.
All of them, right in the heart.
Andreasen, a special education teacher and the head girls golf coach at Clearfield High School in Utah, finished it off in style with a Tiger fist pump, and his amazing feat just adds to the working theory that if you need to make a putt with just about anything on the line, do it on a basketball court.
COMMENT OF THE WEEK
How about a “Spoiler Alert,” Paul. Show some common decency.