PINEHURST, N.C. – Savannah Thompson is one lucky lady. Shortly after the 18-year-old recent high school grad from nearby Pinecrest High School arrived at Pinehurst No. 2 at 6 a.m., she drew No. 11 in a blind draw among volunteers. Lucky for her because that meant she would serve as standard-bearer for the 11th group of the day, which just so happened to mean a front-row pass to the best-ball match of Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler against Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.
“It’s like I’m so tired, but I don’t want this day to end,” said Thompson, who also has scored the standard–bearer job for the final group on Sunday, while walking down No. 13.
It’s a sentiment likely shared by Thomas, 20, a rookie on the Web.com Tour, who had to be pinching himself a little too. While playing on a sponsor invite at the Memorial, he asked Mickelson about playing a practice round in the near future. To which Mickelson replied that he’d reserve a spot for him in his Tuesday game if Thomas qualified for the U.S. Open.
Thomas took care of business by tying for medalist honors at the Columbus, Ohio, sectional qualifier and texted Mickelson. His reply? Bring a partner.
Choosing Spieth, 20, was a no-brainer for Thomas. When asked how long they have been friends, Thomas turned to Spieth and said, “When was France?”
That would be the 2008 Evian Masters Junior Cup, back when Thomas was 14 and Spieth on the verge of celebrating his 14th birthday as well. Just how young are these two young guns? Walking up the 17th hole, Mickelson, 43, recounted how he played his first U.S. Open in 1992 at Pebble Beach.