Golf

Phil Mickelson evacuated from hotel after lightning strike

Fire on the roof caused evacuation the night before final round of BMW Championship

Phil Mickelson of the United States prepares to play from the 10th tee during the final round of the BMW Championship at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Illinois. Photo: Andrew Redington/Getty Images

Sun Aug 18 2019 - 17:19

Phil Mickelson endured a bizarre build-up to the final round of the BMW Championship after being evacuated from his hotel.

Mickelson feared he would miss his 10.52am tee time (5.52pm Irish time) at Medinah after lightning struck the roof of his hotel on Saturday night and started a fire.

The hotel was evacuated and Mickelson had to leave his clothes and clubs in his room, but was later allowed back into the building and made it to the course around 40 minutes before he was due to tee off alongside world number one Brooks Koepka and Dylan Frittelli.

Mickelson arrived wearing flip flops and, like many weekend players, changed his footwear in the car park before warming up with the aid of a swing trainer.

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The 49-year-old left-hander praised members of the emergency services on Twitter and joked that his clubs had acted as “a fire retardant”.

Mickelson’s problems evoked memories of the situation during the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah when Rory McIlroy misread his tee time for Sunday’s singles matches and arrived with minutes to spare after being driven to the course by a state trooper.

Mickelson began the final round on four under par, 17 shots behind leader Justin Thomas, who held a six-shot lead after firing a course record of 61 in the third round.