A combination of California sun, California eased restrictions and a California major championship had thousands streaming through the gates to watch several early featured groups take on the U.S.
And who better to watch than Phil Mickelson? Golf’s most recent major championship winner lives just down the road, after all.
“I mean, people were very happy about his birthday,” he said.
Specifically, Mickelson felt the effects on the 13th hole, when he stepped off his second shot to remind fans to turn off their phones.
“I don’t understand why you just can’t turn that little button on the side into silent,” he added.
“Yeah, it’s the video ding.
At the Memorial in 2012, when phones were first approved for tournament viewers, Mickelson sent a text message to PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem from the 6th fairway making his belief clear that the policing of cell phones was severely lacking.
Mickelson’s frustration was no doubt compounded by the fact that he wasn’t playing very well; this was hardly the homecoming game he had in mind.
Dethier is a 2014 graduate of Williams College, where he majored in English, and he’s the author of 18 in America, which details the year he spent as an 18-year-old living from his car and playing a round of golf in every state.