Phil Mickelson Captures NCAA Golf Tournament

Phil Mickelson, a two-time San Diego Section golfer of the year from the University of San Diego High School, won the NCAA Division I men’s golf championship Saturday at Oak Tree Country Club in Edmond, Okla.

Playing for Arizona State, Mickelson became the first freshman since Houston’s Billy Ray Brown in 1982 to medal in the NCAA tournament.

Mickelson had rounds of 71 and 74 Saturday to finish at 281, one over par and four strokes ahead of six players.

The 36-hole final day was necessitated by the washout of the opening round Wednesday. Two rain delays in the third round threatened the tournament’s completion Saturday.

Mickelson finished Friday’s second-round in second place, one stroke behind Clemson’s Kevin Johnson. But Johnson was disqualified early Saturday morning by the NCAA Golf Committee for failing to sign his card after the second round.

After the third round, Mickelson led Arizona’s Robert Gamez by one stroke on the 7,087-yard, par-72 course. Gamez tied for second with Doug Martin and Ricky Bell of Oklahoma, Kevin Wentworth of Oklahoma State, Brian Nelson of Texas and Dave Stockton of Southern Cal, all at 285.

Harry Rudolph, an Oklahoma State freshman who graduated from La Jolla High, shot a 73 and 87 and finished at 312.

Oklahoma won the team championship with a score of 1,139 over Texas’ 1,158. Clemson was third at 1,160, followed by Oklahoma State at 1,162 and Arizona State at 1,166.

Mickelson was the 1987 and ’88 section player of the year, winning the 1988 individual section title. Rudolph was the player of the year in 1986 and won the individual championship in 1986 and ’87.

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Monica Seles of Yugoslavia joins an already impressive list of players who will compete in the $200,000 Great American Bank tennis tournament at the San Diego Tennis & Racquet Club July 31-August 6.

Seles, 15, lost to Steffi Graf, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, Thursday in the semifinals of the French Open. She defeated Chris Evert in April to win a tournament in Houston after just beginning her professional career in the Virginia Slims of Washington in February.

Seles joins Graf and Manuela Maleeva as players who have committed to the San Diego tournament.

BOXING

Tony Gonzales of San Diego defeated Faat Gatin of the Soviet Union, 2-1, in the 125-pound weight class in the U.S.-U.S.S.R. amateur boxing meet in Atlantic City, N.J. The Soviet Union defeated the U.S., 7-5.