Thousands Of Fans Crowd Around Mickelson After He Sets Majors Record By Winning The PGA Championship
Phil’s back.
And so are the crowds.
At least for a major golf championship in South Carolina.
Phil Mickelson became the oldest player to win a major and he hardly did it on an empty golf course with no grandstands or no fans. He did in in front of a sea of fans at Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, S.C.
Thousands swarmed around him the final two holes like bees protecting their hive. He was mobbed after hitting his approach shot on 18.
As was walking the fairway to the green, it was nearly impossible to even find him in the CBS overhead cam shot. It was golf’s equivalent of fans rushing the field after a big win against a bitter rival. Except there were no goal posts to tear down.
“And incredible site,” announcer Jim Nance said. He then added, “It’s a crazy (starts to chuckle) atmosphere.
The bigger picture is that fans are back at sports event. Some more than others, but even watching on TV, one could feel the energy and excitement fans bring to the action. The roars for great shots by Michelson, the “ooohhhs” after a near miss and the excitement of just being able to see so many fans cheering was something that sent chills up my back.
To have been there must have been an even more incredible feeling.
It also got me excited for the all upcoming sports events. If people continue to get vaccinated COVID-19 numbers continue to drop, then packed grandstands are going to be the norm again.
It was a bit of feeling of triumph for myself, too. Like millions of others, I did what I was told to do in order to help beat back the pandemic. I wore a mask in public. I limited going out to places and having contact with others. I got vaccinated.
Not every sport will be the spectacle of Michelson’s milestone victory. That was one for the ages, an epic moment in the history of golf.
But it was the big first step we all needed to get our sports back to what they were before COVID: a true fan-tastic experience.
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