WATCH: Phil Mickelson hits the stick, nearly makes first PGA Tour par-4 hole-in-one in 18 years
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WATCH: Phil Mickelson hits the stick, nearly makes first PGA Tour par-4 hole-in-one in 18 years

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Phil Mickelson nearly made PGA Tour history on Friday in the second round of the 2019 CJ Cup at Nine Bridges, caroming his tee shot on a par 4 off the flagstick to almost make the second par-4 hole-in-one in tour history.

Mickelson was playing the 353-yard par-4 14th at The Club at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island in South Korea on Friday, when he hit driver down toward the green. With the group in front of him clearing the green for him to hit the tee shot, they watched as Mickelson's tee shot struck the putting surface and hit the flagstick before landing just a few feet from the hole.

The five-time major winner then came up to the green and finished off the eagle 2.

Mickelson shot even-par 72 on the day, and he's 2-under total for the tournament. He sits 11 shots behind leader and 2017 champion Justin Thomas heading into the weekend.

"I mean, it was right at it, but you never think it's going to hit the pin or go in," Mickelson said after the round. "You can't tell where the distance is or where it's going to fly, and I really couldn't see it. It was kind of hidden -- the green. I just saw the reaction, the guys up on the green, and knew that it almost went in. I've actually had one hole-in-one on a par 4 but never in competition. This would have been spectacular."

There remains only one recorded par-4 hole-in-one in PGA Tour history. Andrew Magee made a 1 on the par-4 17th at TPC Scottsdale in the 2001 Phoenix Open. Magee's tee shot on the shorter hole rolled toward the green, caromed off the putter head of Tom Byrum in the group ahead and went into the hole for the rarest of albatrosses.

There have been several close calls since, including by Robert Garrigus and Dustin Johnson, including Johnson's tee shot to 6 inches on a 433-yard hole in the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua Resort in Hawaii. Aaron Baddeley made a hole-in-three after sinking his second tee shot on a par 4 in the 2015 Valero Texas Open after losing his first tee shot out of bounds.

In total, there have been eight known par-4 holes-in-one on major tours around the world.

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