Phil Mickelson could ditch Houston Open in favour of seniors event if fans are permitted
So much for sports stars being desperate to hear the cheers of fans again. Phil Mickelson, the darling of America’s galleries, has indicated that he will not take his traditional route to the Masters if supporters are allowed into the Houston Open and will instead appear in a behind-closed-doors over-50s event.
Mickelson has played the last 11 Houston Opens in a row when it has been the event immediately before Augusta and has spoken of his affection for the Texas city. However, Covid-19 concerns seem set to persuade Mickelson to skip the tournament in two weeks’ time in favour of the Champions Tour finale in Phoenix.
That will be a huge blow to the Houston organisers and worrying to the Tour hierarchy which is so keen to re-introduce spectators. There are scheduled to be 2,000 daily attendees at Memorial Park, but while Mickelson praised the Tour for its handing of the circuit during the pandemic, his comments came with a big caveat that is in direct contrast to the overwhelming majority of sports professionals who have expressed their desire to strut their stuff in front a crowd again.
“For me personally, I don’t like the risk of having that happen the week before the Masters,” Mickelson said. “So it has made me question whether or not I’ll play there. But I have to give the Tour a lot of credit and confidence in the way that they’ve handled the entire year and I’m sure they’re going to do a great job at keeping the players safe in that environment.
“But because I haven’t seen it before, because it’s the first one out on the Tour with some people [there watching], I’m unsure and I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks. I don’t go out to dinner; I don’t go out and socialise because I want to make sure that I have an opportunity to compete in the Masters.”
Mickelson is not alone in his doubts, as Rory McIlroy has also previously questioned when he would feel comfortable appearing with fans onsite again. “I guess when there's less of a chance of people getting sick and whether that’s when they discover more with the virus and whether that's a vaccine or other treatments I don't know,” McIlroy said in August.
Mickelson and McIlroy are playing together in Thursday's first round of Zozo Championship in Los Angeles that retains a top-class field despite losing two high-profile names to positive coronavirus tests in this week’s build-up.
Australian Adam Scott was ruled out yesterday after discovering he had contracted the disease. On Monday, world No 1 Dustin Johnson withdrew, explaining he was still feeling the effects after testing positive last week. Both expect to be ready for the season’s final major.
Spaniard Jon Rahm could replace Johnson at the top of the rankings at Sherwood Country Club, although Tiger Woods will inevitably attract most focus. The 44-year-old is the defending champion of the Zozo Championship and this will almost certainly be his final prep event before defending his Masters crown.
