Video: Phil To Mike Davis On 274-Yard 3rd: "Terrible"
/Thanks to GolfChannel.com's Jay Coffin for Tweeting this video where NBC's crack audio team picking up a frank conversation between Phil Mickelson and USGA Executive Director Mike Davis after the 3rd hole, which played 274 yards into the wind.
The transcript:
"274? That's terrible. Can't even reach it."
The hole was playing straight into the wind as forecasted.
**Mike Davis's response after the round:
Q. Phil expressed his displeasure about the third hole setup. How do you feel with the way the wind was coming and did you feel like you got that one right?
MIKE DAVIS: Well, let me start out by Phil is a class act. He was nothing but complimentary week from the standpoint of he embraced this golf course, which is great. He saw all the architecture when he played the third hole today.
We set the golf course up today for a south wind. So you saw us move tee markers up. For instance, if you're playing the 18th hole, you're dead into what would be a south wind. So that's how we set it up. That's why we didn't go to the back tees.
When we got to the third hole, we were really getting a westerly even a northwesterly wind. So it played long. It played longer than we would have ‑‑ but having said that, it was a back hole location that was the most receptive on the green, we felt that it could handle 3‑wood shots, if need be. So anyway, I mean, he mentioned that he thought it was too long. That's fine. We wouldn't have put the tee markers back where we did had we known we were going to get that wind.
But he was terrific and to be a six‑time runner‑up in the National Open Championship is ‑‑ well, it's not only a record, but it's a ‑‑ he's a very classy about it.
