PHIL MICKELSON'S GOLF BALL MARKER

The Morgan silver dollar is worn as smooth as polished marble, which isn't surprising given its age. Circa 1900. Yeah, it's 120 years old, and its silver content, just over three-quarters of an ounce, has a melt value of roughly $13.50. In mint condition, the coin is worth about $31.

This coin, which Phil Mickelson cherishes about as much as anything he owns, is not mint. Not even close. The year is barely legible. But it represents warm memories, a singular euphoric moment, and an important piece of his family's heritage.

Which, rather significantly, is conjoined with Pebble Beach Golf Links, where on Thursday Mickelson begins his title defense in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. A five-time winner here, Mickelson received the coin from his maternal grandfather, Al Santos, in 2003, a few months before he passed away at age 97. His grandfather, not skilled but not afraid to work and sweat, was one of the original caddies at Pebble Beach when it opened in 1919.

In tribute to Mickelson's five wins at Pebble Beach, including his three-stroke win last year that brought his PGA Tour victory total to 44, the tournament's host organization, the Monterey Peninsula Foundation, had a silver coin made that has been presented to each of the 156 amateurs in the field.

On one side of the coin is the tournament trophy and the dates of Mickelson's five wins—1998, 2005, '07, '12 and '19. On the other side is the tournament logo. Steve John, CEO of Monterey Peninsula Foundation, said the coin “pays tribute to Mickelson as well as a legion of caddies who have played a key role in the past 100 years of golf at Pebble Beach.”

To read the complete article, see:
How Pebble Beach is paying homage to Phil Mickelson, his grandfather and a very special silver dollar (https://sports.yahoo.com/pebble-beach-paying-homage-phil-121115271.html)

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see:
THE NUMISMATICS OF GOLF (https://www.coinbooks.org/v21/esylum_v21n14a27.html)

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