Any date on the calendar, any place on the planet, I doubt you could find a nicer day than the last Friday of February was at Dove Mountain near Tucson. Tiger Woods had more than likely flown home the night before after being eliminated from the Accenture Match Play Championship, but he should have stayed and enjoyed the low humidity, slight breeze, clear skies and 80ยบ.
Even without Tiger, the golf was interesting and fun to watch in person. Donna and I managed to see about half of the 18 holes and all but a few of the 16 competitors, some just a few yards away (which meant they weren’t where they wanted to be).
Readers of these pages will know I am not a fan of Phil Mickelson, but we saw him several times throughout the day and he seemed less the automaton than many of the others, even giving five to the kid who reached out as he and Stewart Cink walked between holes. Despite the white belt he was wearing, and his attendance at the vile Arizona State University, I became a fan. And keep your eye on Rory McElroy of Northern Ireland; the 19-year-old surely has game.
The course, just a few months old, was hard to believe. Grass, even the rough, like fine carpet. Simply amazing. (Cameras and cell phones were not allowed on the course.)
I liked being at a golf tournament in Arizona in the winter. Only sporting event I could attend and be below the median age.
And it was Mickelson and Cink that we stood directly behind on the 8th tee. If I could ever once hit a golf ball as well as they each did (probably just routine drives), I would play golf every day for the rest of my life.