Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Phil Mickelson Wins 2019 Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Ahead of Paul Casey

Timothy Rapp

Phil Mickelson came into Monday's play at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with a three-stroke lead and two holes to play after weather delays forced him into action for an additional day. He maintained that advantage, finishing 19-under to win for the fifth time at the tournament.

Paul Casey (-16), Scott Stallings (-15), Jason Day (-13) and Si Woo Kim (-13) rounded out the top five.

Mickelson is now tied with Mark O'Meara for the most wins at Pebble Beach Pro-Am, with five. Golf on CBS shared the winning shot:

Mickelson bookended his tournament with rounds of 65, pulling past Casey—who shot a 71 in the final round—on Sunday. Mickelson finished his final round with seven birdies and no bogeys, and for the tournament averaged a driving distance of 271.5, had a greens in regulation average of 77.7 percent and gained 2.531 strokes putting, per PGATour.com.

While Mickelson's win on Monday was a solid victory, it also opened the door for a larger storyline to come this season:

Mickelson noted that the course would look far different for the U.S. Open, however.

"It's nothing like the course we'll see [at the U.S. Open]," he said Monday, per Jay Busbee of Yahoo Sports. "It'll be so different. The greens will be so firm. It'll be a whole different golf course. But I'll deal with that in six months."

The win wasn't without controversy. On Sunday, Mickelson clearly wanted to play the last two holes, even as sundown approached. Paul Casey wasn't interested in rushing through them and said he was having trouble seeing. So play was halted, much to Mickelson's chagrin. 

Mickelson acknowledged Monday that it was probably the correct decision, however, per Will Brinson of CBS Sports:

Weird weather conditions and visibility issues aside, Mickelson has started his 2019 season off nicely, also finishing as the runner-up at the Desert Classic. He looks primed for a big potential season:

Mickelson won't have a ton of time to savor his victory, however, as he's off to Los Angeles for this week's Genesis Open. But he heads there in good form, looking to build further momentum as he primes for a big 2019.

   

Read 0 Comments

Download the app for comments Get the B/R app to join the conversation

Install the App
×
Bleacher Report
(120K+)