It was clear that golf fans in the Motor City love Phil Mickelson, and the legendary golfer reciprocated those feelings.
“I enjoyed my time here. The people were terrific, and I love playing old-school Donald Ross courses,” Mickelson said Sunday, after a third straight round of even-par 72. “We don’t get a chance to do it often on Tour because we’re trying to make courses longer and harder. I just loved the golf course.”
The reigning PGA championship winner, who finished the Rocket Mortgage Classic tournament shooting 3-under-par 288, did raise more than a few headlines for his outspoken response local Detroit News writer Robert Snell over an article titled “Lefty and Dandy Don: How a Grosse Pointe bookie allegedly cheated Phil Mickelson” that detailed the 2007 federal racketeering trial of Jack Giacalone during which a local bookie named Don DeSeranno was accused of cheating Mickelson out of half a million dollars.
“I never understood how impactful social media can be, not the way guys like Bubba Watson and Rickie Fowler and guys that have been doing it a long time,” Mickelson said about his tweets over the course of the tournament. “I’ve always used it as like entertainment, trying to put out funny little clips here or there. When some stuff happened this week, it was nice to have a voice.”
It will remain to be seen whether or not Mickelson makes good on his statement earlier in the week not to return to the annual Detroit tournament next year.
– – Quotes via The Detroit Free Press Link – –