When Phil Mickelson needed some tips on how to use a long putter, he turned to belly putter aficionado Keegan Bradley for advice and the reigning PGA champ was happy to help. But Bradley, a starry-eyed rookie last year when he tutored Phil on how to anchor the lengthy wand to his gut, has long considered the four-time major champion his mentor — which makes Sunday’s head-to-head match-up at the Northern Trust Open that much more special for the New England native.
“I really look up to him, and I watched him play a lot of Sundays growing up, and it would be really fun to play with him in the final group on Sunday at Riviera,” Bradley told reporters after firing a 5-under 66 to get to 7-under for the week and a share of first place with Mickelson. His stellar player earned him a spot in the final group with Bryce Molder (T3 at 6-under) and the guy who crushed Tiger Woods last Sunday and hoped to lift his second consecutive PGA Tour trophy a week later. “And any time you play with Phil means you’re playing pretty well. It just would be a lot of fun. I enjoy the atmosphere and everything that comes with playing with Phil.”
Bradley has done on-course battle with Mickelson, during last year’s Barclays event (a duel the tour touted as one of its marquee “Establishment vs. Youth” pairings), but the two have never met in crunch time. “Nothing like this would be,” said Bradley, who finished his third round before Mickelson’s par putt dropped on the 18th.
Indeed, Bradley was so psyched for a showdown at Riviera — a course that both players relish for its history and set-up that seems to fit their games — he noted his anticipation at finishing his third round with a par that he hoped would get him a tee time with Mickelson today.
“I really hope I do play with Phil. That’s kind of why I was excited to make that putt on the last hole. I kind of figured that might be to get in the final group with Phil,” said Bradley. “Yeah, I would love it. I really hope strongly that that’s how it is.”
While Mickelson had a wild ride around the 7,298-yard, par-71 track on Saturday — he hit a tree, guided a shot through several more, and even had to take a drop when a drive landed in the hem of a spectator’s shorts — he was able to shoot a 1-under 70 and retain at least a share of the lead he’s had all week. Should he go wire-to-wire, it will be the fourth time in his career he’s captured consecutive victories on tour and the first time anyone’s done so in back-to-back starts since Woods accomplished the feat in 2009. The holder of 40 tour titles was not about to give up that possibility without a fight, of that Bradley was certain.
“Playing up against a guy like Phil or a veteran out here,” he said, “I’m giving up a lot of experience to them.”
Still, the 2011 Rookie of the Year knew what he had to do to to defeat the man who’s been on a serious roll since firing a 64 in the finale at Pebble Beach.
“Everybody has got to try their best not to just watch Phil,” he said. “You can go out there and shoot a 5-, 6-under round like I did today and just shoot right up the leaderboard.”
Should anyone be unclear on what Bradley’s goal was for Sunday’s finale, he clarified.
“I can promise you I do want to beat Phil, and he wants to beat me,” he said. “I just look forward to the challenge of going out there and being in the hunt with him. Like I said, you never know what Phil is going to shoot. He could shoot a really low one or not, so you’ve got to try not to focus on him as much.”
He may not have the dead-lock cinch, first-ballot Hall of Fame career that his Sunday playing partner has, but the pride of Woodstock, Vt., and Hopkinton, Mass., talked a good game on the eve of a winner-take-all contest against one of the best in the world. And if Bradley should somehow come up short in his quest for his third tour title, he wanted his hero to hoist the hardware.
“The thing that I do have is I have played with him a bunch, I’ve hung out with him, and…I feel more comfortable this year than I would last year playing in the final group. I’ve got that going for me,” Bradley said. “I love Phil. Everything he’s done for me is great, and if I didn’t win tomorrow, I would hope he would.”
Mickelson echoed Bradley’s sentiments.
“I do [hope he wins if I don’t],” he said. “I really like Keegan. He’s a great guy. He’s a great player, and I think a lot of him.”
Mickelson looked forward to an enjoyable round with a golfer he considered “a tremendous talent” and someone he believed was good for the game.
“We’ve had some great practice rounds, good fun. You can be very relaxed around him, and he takes things well,” Mickelson said. “You can rough him up a little bit, and he’ll give it right back. We’ve got a good banter, and I enjoy being around him.”
Mickelson v. Bradley may not exactly fit the definition of appointment TV the way last week’s heavyweight bout did, but this could be the beginning of a beautiful rivalry.
Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. View all her articles here. You may also follow Kay on Twitter @golfexaminer
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