Phil Mickelson and Sergio Garcia do their best to screw up weekend showdown at PGA Championship

BLOOMFIELD HILLS, Mich. - As afternoon sped toward evening in the second round of the PGA Championship, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson stood tied at even par, only one shot back of can’t-hold-up leader J.B. Holmes. They were well into their back nines and a major that’s been largely duller than an Al Gore speech stood on the cusp of getting the marquee Sergio-Phil duel that could save it.

With Garcia and Mickelson, everyone should have know it couldn’t last.

Mickelson goes bogey-bogey on 14 and 15 thanks in large part to some of the most horrendous chip shots this short-game master has ever hit in his life. Garcia double bogeys the par 3 17th by four putting.

Say hello to matching second round 3-over 73s. So instead of being right at Holmes’ heels and possibly playing in the same pairing on Saturday, Garcia is 2-over and Mickelson’s 3-over for the PGA. Definitely still very much in it to be sure. But not close to what they could have given us.

Of course, with these two sometimes the explanations are even more entertaining than the shots.

“I four putted without hitting one bad putt,” Garcia said moments ago. “That’s the truth. If I had hit a bad putt, I would tell you.”