Why Phil Mickelson might return to the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2022
DETROIT – A birdie on the 17th hole ensured that Phil Mickelson would stay in Detroit for the weekend.
Mickelson, who received strong fan support throughout Friday’s second round of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, backtracked a bit from Thursday’s statement that he didn’t plan to return to the tournament next year.
Mickelson praised the fans and cited a tweet by Mike Sullivan, the founder of Metro Detroit Golfers, a community group of Michigan golfers, from Thursday.
The tweet:
Hey @PhilMickelson if I can gather 50,000 Michigan signatures would you reconsider and come back to Detroit next year!?
All of us fans want you here…
— Mike Sullivan (@MikeSullivan) July 1, 2021
Mickelson responded on Friday.
“The people here were so nice that I’ll make a deal with them. There’s a guy named Mike Sullivan that’s trying to raise 50,000 signatures,” Mickelson said during his post-round news conference. “If he gets 50,000, and all of those 50,000 agree to do one random act of kindness for another member of the community, I’m in.”
Mickelson reaffirmed his commitment to Rocket Mortgage and its impact on the Detroit community.
“So I was very impressed and appreciative of the way everybody was today,” he said Friday. “I hope that this tournament continues to bring that type of community involvement and bring them together, and if that happens, I’d love to be a part of it because I thought it was really cool.”
Before talking to the media, Mickelson had a rough second round on the course. After Thursday’s hot and humid weather, including a rain delay, Friday was relatively mild, albeit with occasionally strong wings. Mickelson bogeyed the first hole, but came back with birdies on the second and seventh holes. On the back nine, he bogeyed Nos. 12 and 14 before a birdie on the 17th left him even for the day and 3 under through two rounds, right at the cut line.
“The wind made it challenging to get the ball close. I struggled with that but the course is in great shape,” Mickelson said. “The greens were soft, if you hit a good shot you could have a good chance to make birdie, but I struggled kind of gauging the wind.”
Several other players struggled with the wind and missed the cut, including the first two Rocket Mortgage Classic champions, Nate Lashley (who shot a 2-under 142 over two days) and Bryson DeChambeau (1-under 143).
Still, Mickelson is focused on the weekend’s action.
“I am tired of trying to fight to make cuts. I want to get in contention because that’s what’s so much fun, just being in contention and having a chance,” Mickelson said. “So I’ve got to play a little bit better, but it is important to me that I get two more competitive rounds.
“You never know what could happen. This is a golf course that you could light up if you play well, you get a few putts going, it’s out there. Hopefully, I can make a hot run tomorrow because I would love nothing more than to have a chance on Sunday.”
