September 17, 2019
If you follow social media (and the NCGA) on Twitter, you may have seen Phil Mickelson’s latest Phireside chat, which involved the NCGA’s own Poppy Hills Golf Course.
In the post, which Mickelson introduces by calling it, ” one of the most interesting moments that have happened with me on the PGA Tour,” the co-record five-time AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am champ starts a tale about playing Poppy Hills back in the 1990s when it was still part of the AT&T’s pro-am rotation.
While waiting on the tee box of a par-3, he noticed a man riding down the cart path on a bike along the gallery ropes. Then, according to Mickelson, all of a sudden “one of the guys in the gallery takes his arm, and as he comes close to him, goes ‘Whack!’ and knocks him on his back.”
Shocked at what they had just witnessed, Phil and his playing partners started to go over to see what was going on when the man from the gallery stood over the bruised and disoriented biker and yelled, “That’s my bike!”
As Mickelson watched in disbelief, the thief got up and ran away, then the real owner picked up the bike and pedaled off into the distance.
Here’s Mickelson recalling the bizarre incident himself below.
I was at Addison’s (best restaurant in SD and has 1 Michelin star) and I saw a fireplace. So I shot a quick Phireside with Phil. pic.twitter.com/jVqhxzcSDJ
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) September 15, 2019