Mickelson A Real Card In College

Phil Mickelson doesn’t smile much and rarely says anything humorous during interviews, but a former teammate at Arizona State insists that Mickelson is “a funny guy.”

Per-Ulrik Johansson of Sweden, who shot a 6-under-par 66 Saturday in the third round of the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club, played two years with Mickelson at Arizona State.

“He’s a funny guy,” Johansson said. “He didn’t fall for peer pressure like a lot of other guys… . We had a lot of fun off the course. We went to a few parties, but the main thing was golf.”

Johansson said he almost was conked on the head a few times by Mickelson’s backswing while adjusting to playing with a lefthanded golfer. He did get hit in the wallet a few times during their days together.

“We had a lot of bets,” he said. “I probably lost a lot of money. It was a lot of money at the time, because I was on a student loan. The scholarship didn’t cover everything. But the money I lost was worth it because it probably made me a better player.”

With Saturday’s round, Johansson moved up from a tie for 60th to a tie for 14th at 211.

Near ace for Ingraham

Overbrook Golf Club head professional Stu Ingraham, one of three club pros left in the field after the 36-hole cut, shot a 3-over-par 75 but came within an eyelash of a hole in one.

At the 211-yard third hole, Ingraham drew a 5-iron to a back-left pin position. The ball hit 20 feet from the hole and rolled tantalizingly toward the cup, hitting the flagstick and the lip of the cup before stopping 4 inches from the hole.

“I didn’t see it, but I thought it went in,” he said. “The fans were going bananas.”

The tap-in was one of three birdies for Ingraham. He ended poorly, though, knocking his tee shot into the water at the par-5 18th and ending up with double bogey.

Back on the farm

While Kentucky fans were out in force to follow native sons Kenny Perry and Russ Cochran at the PGA, one Kentuckian was noticeably missing. Jodie Mudd, who lives close to Valhalla, is out of the PGA Tour picture despite having a 10-year exemption for his 1990 Players Championship victory. Mudd, a four-time winner on Tour, though he’s cut down his playing considerably, reportedly is happy to work his farm. Mudd breeds and raises thoroughbreds and has said that, at 36, he’s not interested in the grind of Tour life the way he was when he came out of college 14 years ago.

Els blows a tire

Ernie Els, who has been rock-solid in his last five major championships, shot a 79 after playing a five-hole stretch in a frightening 9-over par.

Els was 1 under for the day walking to the fifth tee, bogeyed that hole, then carded a quadruple bogey at the sixth. He followed that with a double bogey on No. 7, then bogeys on the final two holes of the front nine to turn in an 8-over 44.

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