Phil Mickelson is a man of the people. So when he says he will likely be missing the U.S. Open, you better believe the people are going to try and do something about it. While it isn’t official yet, Lefty has verbally committed to not teeing it up at Erin Hills on June 15 due to a scheduling conflict with his daughter’s high school graduation. While the decision is father-of-the-year worthy, the U.S. Open is Phil’s white whale.
One club pro named Derek Deminsky decided to take matters into his own hands on Tuesday and started a petition at Change.org for Pacific Ridge High School to change the date of the graduation to allow Mickelson to play:
On behalf of golf fans everywhere, I am requesting to see if there is ANY WAY possible to reschedule your graduation ceremony to Wed June 14th (or before) to allow Phil Mickelson to play in this year’s U.S. Open and continue his quest for the career Grand Slam. For Phil not to play to see Amanda speak is absolutely beautiful and shows the kind of caring father and family man he is, but if there is ANY WAY POSSIBLE to move it to the day before, I and MILLIONS of golf fans everywhere would GREATLY appreciate it!
Pacific Ridge School: FOR PHIL MICKELSON AND GOLF: Change the Date! – Sign the Petition! https://t.co/g6mBo3EjuW via @Change
— GolfBetterTucson.com (@GolfBetter2son) June 5, 2017
As of Wednesday evening, it has 2,161 signatures. You can view the full petition here.
According to Golf Channel, the school provided this statement on Tuesday regarding the matter:
“We take confidentiality seriously and do not comment on our students or families out of respect for their privacy. We look forward to celebrating the Class of 2017 on June 15th.”
When asked on Saturday if there was any talk at the school about shifting the times of the ceremony, Mickelson said, “No, there’s not. I wouldn’t put them in that situation.”
Considering the fact Phil has finished runner-up a record six times at this event, according to him, the decision was fairly simple.
“I love the (U.S.) Open, but this is a special moment for us,” he said told reports on Wednesday at the FedEx St. Jude Classic. “I mean, my daughter’s speaking, she’s giving the speech there at graduation. It’s one of those things you just need to be there, so it wasn’t a hard decision.”
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