KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. — Phil Mickelson has been smiling at galleries for so long that he somehow provides a personal touch on autopilot. A nod here, a thumbs-up there—all of it coming so naturally to him that he doesn’t need to give it any thought. This is efficient and necessary. Mickelson turns 51 next month. He needs to pour every drop of mental energy into his golf.
Mickelson finished a masterful final nine in his second round here at the PGA Championship, with a 22-foot birdie putt and a fist-pump. A small fist-pump. A Friday fist-pump. He is five-under for the tournament, in the lead as of this typing, but that just means he has to work harder.