Bill Haas Beats Keegan Bradley and Phil Mickelson at Northern Trust Open
For a moment, it seemed like Phil Mickelson was destined to win the Northern Trust Open. Then Keegan Bradley followed Phil Mickelson’s dramatic 27-footer with a birdie of his own to force a three-way playoff including Bill Haas, and reality set in. There was work left to be done, and Mickelson wasn’t ready to shoulder the load.
Outside of the clutch putt Mickelson stuffed to get to seven-under par, the magic that Phil typically infuses with his short game simply wasn’t there. He had a chance to be whimsical on the second playoff hole. His ball was sitting up in the rough after coming up well short of the green with his drive on the short Par 4 10th, and the patented Mickelson flop shot was imminent.
It was a tough shot, but it’s one that Mickelson most certainly has, but apparently not this Sunday. Phil carried it to the pin and the ball hopped into the back bunker. Bradley failed to hold the green from a similar angle but with the inclusion of sand, and Haas jarred a 40-footer to win the tournament.
It was an extraordinary finish to end a day of golf that was anything but extraordinary.
The field was pretty much stagnant and the leaderboard didn’t change much with the exception of Haas jumping to the top and Sergio Garcia firing an unbelievable 64 to move to the front page. Bradley and Mickelson had their chances, but failed to put distance between themselves and the field.
Mickelson was able to get nine-under with birdies on one and five, but sunk back to seven-under after bogeying eight and nine. Bradley, on the other hand, wore his pencil down to the nub with a scorecard that was nearly as colorful as his pre-shot mannerisms. There was plenty of spitting per usual for Bradley, who often seems almost schizophrenic on the golf course, but there was also five bogeys for the talented young star, as well. Not so usual.
Through it all, it was Haas that made a subtle move to the top of the heap.
He wasn’t long, he wasn’t straight, and he couldn’t find a green to save his life, but once he got there, Haas went to work. He tied for first with Bradley in putts per round for the week, and his final putt would be his greatest.
With Bradley, Mickelson, and Haas all putting themselves in precarious positions on their second playoff hole, Haas elected to play it safe and pitch out to the center of the green because of a poor lie. It seemed overshadowed by the aggressive plays of Bradley and Mickelson, but when Haas curled in his 40-footer there was nothing big enough to conceal it with shade.
The defending FedEx Cup champion got his fourth career PGA victory and he did it against a star-studded field. Even better, he did it in a star-studded playoff.
Haas casually accepted the cliched mentality of a workman while the spotlights and cameras directed themselves at the tournament’s biggest star (Mickelson) and one of the sport’s rising stars (Bradley.) And while last week it was Mickelson who stole the show, this week Haas would play the role of thief.
There won’t be a warrant served and he won’t spend a day in jail for his transgressions, but Bill Haas is most certainly guilty as charged.
