Phil Mickelson putted his way to become the 9th ranked golfer on Sunday, but his most memorable shot at the Northern Trust Open came Saturday when he teed off into a fan’s trousers. Upon launching the ball off the 15th hole at the Pacific Palisades, Calif., course, the shot shied far left, bouncing off a tree and landing amid the gallery. A brief scrum ensued as spectators cleared away, leaving a lone man lying in the grass.
As Mickelson made his way down the course to retrieve the ball, he feared the worst. “I thought I had taken him out,” Mickelson said. “It wouldn’t have been the first time.” But the spectator, Patrick Prendergast, was still lying on the ground simply because the ball had rolled up his shorts. He had been sitting on the ground relaxing as the ball flew over the heads of those in the gallery. When his shorts caught the rogue shot, he didn’t want to move, abiding by the “Play it as it lies” rule. The camera caught Mickelson gently rolling the ball from the inside hem of the man’s shorts.
After helping Prendergast up, Mickelson autographed a glove for the man and apologized. Thankfully for both parties, the golfer took a drop on the hole – while still managing to shoot a par-4.