It was a crazy scene on the 18th hole Sunday as Phil Mickelson made his stroll down the fairway en route to his victory at the PGA Championship in South Carolina. Mickelson, who had a two-stroke lead over Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen, was set to become the oldest major champion at 50, and with the fans literally behind him, he delivered. He also set a record for the longest odds to win the PGA Championship at 200-1.
Mickelson entered the final round at 7-under-par and with a one-stroke lead, but after a difficult first two holes, he found himself trailing Koepka by one stroke. Mickelson would later retake the lead and would hold onto that lead for the rest of the day. He even had a five-stroke lead at one point. The tournament, though, would ultimately be determined on the par 4 18th hole. Oosthuizen was 4-under-par and had already finished his round, meaning he had to watch hoping that Koepka, also 4-under, and Mickelson, 6-under, would choke. This is where things took a crazy turn. Immediately following Mickelson’s tee-off, the crowd descended onto the fairway forming a giant blob of fans following Mickelson towards the green. That blob got larger after Mickelson’s second shot from the fairway to the green, and ultimately got engulfed in the crowd, but the security detail was able to get the crowd to make a hole so that Mickelson and Koepka could make their way through to the green. It was a mass spectacle that I’ve never previously witnessed in the game of golf. It was clear that Phil Mickelson was meant to win this year’s PGA Championship. Koepka was displeased with the crowd and had a few choice words later to describe it, and Phil described it as unnerving.
Ultimately, Koepka would par, and finish 4-under, tied with Oosthuizen for second, and Mickelson would par to win at 6-under and became the oldest major champion. It was an excellent finish to an excellent tournament, and an instant classic.
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