It’s More Than Worth the Wait for Mickelson

The longest, oddest tournament in PGA Tour history ended Monday at Pebble Beach--a mere 200 days after it began in January.

The winner of the AT&T; Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was Phil Mickelson, who waited 6 1/2 months to bank $450,000 and another $100,000 for making the most money in the eight West Coast tournaments. He probably should have asked for interest.

“Let me get this right,” Mickelson said. “Vijay Singh gets $540,000 for winning the PGA and I get $550,000?”

Golf’s a funny game, all right, and the AT&T; was bordering on hilarious.

Mickelson shot a 67 at Pebble Beach to beat Tom Pernice by one shot and officially end the most delayed, wettest, washed-out event since they put dimples on golf balls. Tom Watson and Tim Herron, the 36-hole co-leaders, finished back in the pack. Watson tied for ninth and Herron tied for 19th. Jim Furyk and J.P. Hayes wound up two shots behind Mickelson, who won for the 13th time, with a 14-under total of 202, and was pretty happy about it.

“It’s a pretty exciting day for me,” Mickelson said. “It’s like a bonus reward almost. It all came in one day. It’s a cool day.”

Cool wasn’t the only description. That wasn’t what Skip Kendall was thinking after he arrived on the players’ charter but his luggage didn’t, which meant Kendall played his round in the same clothes he wore Sunday.

“If I’m making a fashion statement, I’m speechless,” Kendall said.

Kendall was one of 28 players, plus assorted caddies and significant others who flew the charter jet that AT&T; arranged from Seattle to Monterey. There was another one waiting to take the players to Denver for this week’s PGA Tour event.

Maybe in the future, they’ll play at the airport to save time.

For some reason, Mickelson’s arrival in the interview room afterward was announced by a bearded trumpeter in purple tights, apparently proving that the tournament isn’t over until the trumpeter blows.

But he was holding his breath for a very long time.

The tournament time line is sort of long and involved. The AT&T; was so old, you had to use carbon dating to tell its age.

It started Jan. 29, was carried over to Monday, Feb. 2, when it was halted because of an overabundance of rain and mud. It was rescheduled for March 2, but that plan was changed Feb. 5, at which time Monday’s date was finally decided upon.

The event was squeezed in between a series of antique car shows and an antique car auction. A makeshift media area was put together Sunday night in what had been a Mercedes-Benz hospitality area hours before.

Those amateur golfers who had paid $295 (plus $25 for a cart) to play Pebble Beach and then found out the pros had replaced them were rescheduled for later in the day--a 2 p.m. shotgun start.

There were 133 players of the original 168 who showed up to play the last 18 holes and make the tournament an official 54-hole event.

The 54-hole total is significant because no prize money can be handed out unless that many are played. And with $2.5 million to get passed out to the players, some of them with an eye on keeping their tour cards by staying in the top 125 on the money list, it’s understandable that the tour wanted to get the tournament in the books.

Pernice, who won $270,000, said finishing the tournament clearly was the proper decision.

“And I’m not just saying that because I finished second,” he said.

Right. Sound the trumpets.

Pebble Beach National Pro-Am

Final 54-Hole Scores

202 (-14)--$450,000

Phil Mickelson: 65-70-67

203 (-13)--$270,000

Tom Pernice Jr.: 67-69-67

204 (-12)--$130,000

Jim Furyk: 69-67-68

Paul Azinger: 67-69-68

J.P. Hayes: 70-67-67

Complete Scores, C11