KPMG Els and MickelsonCHARLOTTE — They took turns waxing nostalgic about the old days, their initial encounter on the golf course coming 33 years ago. Ernie Els had made his first trip to the U.S. from his home in South Africa, then bested Phil Mickelson at the 1984 Junior World Championship in California. Little did they know it was the first of many, many times they’d be competing against one another in their future Hall of Fame careers.
“I remember a shot you hit in the final round on No. 3,” Mickelson said to Els at a joint press conference on Tuesday at Quail Hollow Club. “It was a par 5, and you had it about 20 yards short of the green, and you hit this little skipping, spinning wedge shot that checked up about a foot from the hole. That’s when I knew you were going to be a good player, because I had not seen anybody else at 14 hit that shot.”
Shown a picture of the duo from that day, Mickelson quipped: “It doesn’t seem that long ago from those days, but it sure looks like a long..