Caddie-less Bryson DeChambeau went home early, Hideki Matsuyama tested positive for COVID-19 and Phil Mickelson is reconsidering a return to the Rocket Mortgage tournament — other than that, it was just another Friday at Detroit Country Club.
Masters champion Matsuyama withdrew after his test result, will have to quarantine for 10 days and his preparation for the Open Championship flew out the window. As for defending champion DeChambeau, who parted ways with long-time caddie Tim Tucker on the eve of this tournament, he shot 71 on Friday and his one-under par total missed the 36-hole cut by two.
Phil Mickelson, who was totally pissed off by an article in the Detroit Free Press earlier in the week that tied him to a local mob-connected bookie, reversed his “I’m never coming back” position and put out a challenge to his fans in Detroit. One man is circulating a petition of support for Mickelson and when Phil head about it, he said if that changed the petition and asked people to commit to a random act of kindness, then he’d consider coming back.
Other than that, just a normal PGA Tour Friday that saw Joaquin Niemann (65-69) and Tom Lewis (65-69) tie for the 36-hole lead at 10-under par. Troy Merritt, Chris Kirk and Max Homa will head into moving day a shot back of the co-leaders.
Mickelson hit a gem of a pitch for his third shot into the 17th on Friday for a kick-in birdie then a closing par got him to three-under and Lefty made the cut on the number.
He also had a proposal for his fans in Detroit:
“I don’t want to be divisive. I didn’t like the way that felt with the reporter,” he said of the Free Press article earlier this week. “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. If all – 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 also had the close call of playing with Matsuyama, same for Rickie Fowler, who completed that threesome.
“It’s certainly unsettling to know that I spent the entire day that close, but also as I look back, I know that I kept my distance from everybody and tried to stay six feet and tried – so I think we’re all being as responsible as we can,” said Mickelson, who has received a COVID vaccination. And I’m very sorry that that happened to him and I hope he’s able to play (The Open), and I also hope that Rickie and his caddie, Joey, and myself and my (caddie) brother, that we’re okay, too.”
As for DeChambeau, he’s a paid brand ambassador for sponsor Rocket Mortgage and he left without any interviews on Friday.
