1990
Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson, 20, of San Diego, California, won both the qualifying
medal and the championship, defeating Manny Zerman by 5 and 4, at Cherry
Hills Country Club, in Denver. A left-hander, Mickelson, a junior at Arizona
State University, led the morning round by three holes.
Zerman, also 20, and a former high school teammate of Mickelson's, closed
to within one hole in the afternoon, but Mickelson regained a comfortable
advantage by winning holes 10 and 11. Mickelson birdied five of the last
12 holes, and played the 32 holes of the match in five under par.
He had defeated David Eger, 38, in his semifinal match, 4 and 3, but
he had been extended to the 18th hole or beyond in three of his earlier
matches. In his second and tightest match, he defeated Jeff Thomas, New
Jersey state amateur champion, on the 20th hole. After opening the qualifying
with 71, Mickelson shot a record score of 64 on the second day, and a
36-hole total of 135.
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