For many of the PGA Tour‘s top stars, this time of year is reserved for resting and recharging. Following a long, grinding Tour season, the FedEx Cup Playoffs and the Ryder Cup, a little bit of free time never hurt anybody. Phil Mickelson, however, has taken a slightly different approach, accepting a side gig as an “interim assistant coach” at Arizona State. He seems to have found his niche – recruiting.
According to Yahoo! Sports, Mickelson assumed the interim role at his alma mater to help out his brother, Tim, who is the Sun Devils’ head coach. In one of his first days on the job, “Lefty” made a personal recruiting call to 16-year-old Ryan Ruffels, an American-born amateur currently living in Australia.
Ruffels is a highly-touted young talent, ranked 28th in the world, with several top programs hoping to acquire his services. I know these kids seem to be getting better at younger and younger ages these days, but it’s got to be a nice little ego boost to have a five-time major champion looking up your number to give you the pitch.
Your move, Oklahoma State. Time to get Rickie Fowler on the horn.
While I doubt we’ll see Mickelson back on the Tour much earlier than the Farmers Insurance Open, which takes place in late January at Torrey Pines, a short hop away from his home in California, it’s not likely that we’ll see Mickelson donning the maroon and gold in Tempe anytime soon. This little “work from home” arrangement he’s got with his brother/boss is pretty sweet though.
Lots of golfers stay true to their school, and Phil putting in a bit of work is a really fun way for him to give back. Who knows, if he lands Ruffels, maybe he’ll have found a second calling.
Brandon Raper is the lead golf writer for Rant Sports. “Like” him on Facebook, follow him on Twitter @Brandon__Raper, and join him on Google+.
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