It has been more than two weeks since that stunning PGA Championship win by Phil Mickelson and my guess is, the indelible image you have is Lefty working his way through thousands of fans as he moved to the 72nd green.

Not me. I am stuck on the vision of Lefty working his way through a tray of chocolate eclairs 18 years earlier. Yes, a tray.

Bizarre imagery, yes, but allow me some latitude. After all, in the universe of Phil Mickelson, the incomparable (like winning a major at 50) run parallel to the inexplicable. The eclairs, for instance, so let’s go right to the sweet spot of this story from Oak Hill CC and the 2003 PGA Championship.

Mickelson, then 33, was, per usual, front and center.

Storyline No. 1 was being 0-for-45 in the majors.

Storyline No. 2 was his defiant defense of his aggressive mentality in these majors. “I may never win a major playing (aggressively) . . . (but) I won’t ever change – not tomorrow, Sunday, or at Augusta or the U.S. Open, or any tournament.”

Storyline No. 3, was yet another eccentric pre-tournament move; instead of a Wednesday practice round, Mickelson went to work out at the Buffalo Bills training camp. Wrote Orlando Sentinel columnist David Whitley: “0-for-4 in the Super Bowl meets 0-for-45 in Super tournaments.”

Promptly, Mickelson took us on beguiling roller-coaster ride. He opened with 66 to share the lead with Rod Pampling. At the time, Lefty was infatuated with the power game and while he was long (at 306 yards he finished third in average driving distance that season) he was laughably crooked (48.96 percent, he ranked 189th in accuracy). It was the year he tweaked Woods by saying: “He hates that I can fly it past him.”

But ’03 had been miserable up to that point. Start with Mike Weir winning the Masters, so Mickelson wasn’t even the highest-ranked lefthander in the world. Mix in the unheard-of Ben Curtis taking the Open. Now toss in rounds of 75-72-75 that sent Mickelson crashing into a tie for 23rd at Oak Hill, and sprinkle in Shaun Micheel – a guy who was 159 spots behind Lefty in the world rankings – won that ’03 PGA and . . . well, you had a recipe for a prime meltdown.

Especially since Mickelson, who was T-12 through 54 holes, had warmed up for Sunday’s fourth round by playing 18 holes in the morning at the Country Club of Rochester. “Who does something like that?” laughed an incredulous playing competitor.

Mickelson does, of course, but after two early birdies at Oak Hill, Lefty bogeyed five of his last eight holes. Lost, tired, and frazzled, Mickelson disappeared into the clubhouse for a long, long time and took refuge next to a tray of chocolate eclairs.

“He was eating them like they were pigs in a blanket. It was incredible,” said a playing competitor. “Just sitting there all by himself.”

Other players confirmed the story, so “death by chocolate” echoes in my mind every time I consider 2003 to be the end of Mickelson’s first chapter to his storied PGA Tour career. Yes, he had won 21 times at that point, but he had penned 2,100 unfathomable “Phil being Phil” moments to overshadow all that.

Oak Hill ’03 resonates not only for being rich in Mickelson bizarreness and chocolate, but also the end of his Majorless Era. Eight months later, Mickelson leapt into another chapter of his pulsating career by winning the Masters. Finally, in his 47th try, he was a major champion.

It’s the sixth win in his 111th major start, the 2021 PGA at Kiawah, that still grips the golf community, of course, and for good reason. But as he regaled his legion of supporters with short-game mastery at the Ocean Course, my thoughts circled back to Oak Hill ’03 and how all those eclairs ushered him into a new era.

No disrespect to those who think Woods at the 2019 Masters and Mickelson at the 2021 PGA are defining moments. I’ll take the 2004-05-06 seasons.

In that span, they combined to win seven of 12 majors – Mickelson two Masters and a PGA; Woods a Masters, a PGA, and two Opens – and if you play the “if only” game, imagine that they could have won all four in 2005 and 2006 and maybe all 12, to be honest.

In 2004: After winning at Augusta, Lefty staggered to the finish at the U.S. Open, was just one shot out of a playoff at the Open, then played his last 10 holes in 1 over and was two strokes short of a playoff at the PGA.

In 2005: The only major they didn’t win was the U.S. Open when Woods’ charge at Pinehurst was derailed with bogeys at 16 and 17. Michael Campbell was the winner.

In 2006: Again, only the U.S. Open escaped them, and while a healthy line of other players think they should have won at Winged Foot, it’s Mickelson’s double-bogey at 18 to finish one behind Geoff Ogilvy that resonates loudest.

What put this resurgence in motion was Mickelson’s commitment to tidier golf. He fell to 30th, 26th and 17th in driving distance, but improved to 10th, 47th and 21st in greens in regulation.

As for the eclairs, who can quantify their contribution. But I’m thinking they unlocked the secret to success.

When it’s a day of leisurely golf and you can turn to a former U.S. Mid-Amateur champ, Matt Parziale, for advice and you actually do what he says, you feel a sense of accomplishment.

So, you can imagine how Colin Whitney’s enthusiasm rose exponentially when the drive Parziale suggested – “Just hit it over the cart path” – was shaped perfectly. It turned right-to-left, the direction of the cart path, and tracked the green perfectly on the 307-yard, dogleg left par-4 ninth hole on Juniper Hill’s Lakeside Course. So perfectly, in fact, that once Whitney arrived at the green (it’s a blind shot), he discovered his ball in the cup.

Nothing like a tidy little ace of the rarest kind to bring a smile to your face.

Only Whitney – who grew up in Longmeadow, graduated from Nichols College (’16) where he played on the golf team, and lives now in Somerville – gladly accepted congratulations, knowing his “1” was not the most important score of the day.

No, by a long shot. Not when you make your albatross during a two-day golf marathon that raised $750,000 for Golf Fights Cancer. Whitney watched his older sister, Caitlin, go through a battle with cancer and while he’s thankful she is doing well, he knows the fight goes on for so many others, so he was more than happy to play a lot of golf last Thursday (it was a marathon, remember) over Juniper Hill’s Lakeside and Riverside courses to help the cause.

The personal connection extended beyond Caitlin. Mark Whitney, father to Colin and Caitlin, is good friends with Jim Coughlin, the founder and chief volunteer of DetecTogether, a national nonprofit that teaches people how to recognize the earlier warning signs of cancer.

This year, the two-day marathon that attracted 85 golfers to Juniper Hills in Northborough was a team effort between the two charities dedicated to fighting cancer and saving lives. Funds raised during this year’s event primarily will benefit DetecTogether.

Mark Whitney caddied for his son (when you’re trying to play a lot of holes, assistance is appreciated), while Parziale caddied for his father, Vic.

A good number of the participants played upwards of 100 holes and the storylines were flavorful – from John Dias and Jimmy Yonchak playing a series of 10, 10-hole matches, to Woods Hole head professional Glenn Kelly pushing his career total of money raised to more than $200,000, to Whitney’s albatross.

“It’s incredibly inspiring to see the impact that people who share a common interest can make in the fight against cancer,” said Brian Oates, chairman and co-founder of Golf Fights Cancer.

Ethier, Bentley golfers shine

It was an individual victory for Tommy Ethier at the 57th Hornblower Memorial that showed what an unheralded game he has. But the annual tournament at Plymouth Country Club also provided a sense of pride for the Bentley golf family.

Ethier, who just graduated, and two other former Bentley golf captains, Bobby Leopold (68-69) and Jon Stoddard (65-73), were all in the top 10, while another former standout, Alex Jeffers (73-69) was joint 19th.

Feel-good stuff for coach Mickey Herron and the job he has done at the Div. 2 school, but he’d be the first to shine that spotlight on Ethier (right). Less than two weeks removed from a grueling test in the NCAA Div. 2 Championships at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., Ethier played beautifully at Plymouth CC.

“It was a nice way to get back on my feet,” he said.

Fulfilling Herron’s prediction for a strong Hornblower, Ethier opened with 3-under 67 to sit two off of Stoddard’s lead, but threw down a half-dozen birdies in a closing 66 to finish at 5-under 133 and win by two over Caleb Manuel (66-69) of Topsham, Maine, who just finished his freshman year at the University of Connecticut.

Brandon Parker (69-67) and Doug Clapp (67-69) were at 136, tied for third, while Leopold was joint fifth and Stoddard fell into a share of eighth.

Ethier, from Nashua, N.H., has been accepted at Notre Dame to pursue a master’s degree in accounting.

US Open qualifiers

Jimmy Hervol of Hopkinton and Zach Zaback of Farmington, Conn., crossed paths a few years ago as teammates on the University of Connecticut golf team. Monday, they earned the right to share the same stage again, albeit a larger one. The former Huskies both advanced through a final stage of U.S. Open qualifying and will be part of the field at Torrey Pines June 17-20.

Hervol, who graduated in 2019 and is playing consistently well on the Minor League Golf Tour in South Florida, shot a pair of 68s to finish second in a U.S. Open final qualifier in Purchase, N.Y. Zaback, a 2016 graduate, posted 68-70 to take the fourth and final qualifying spot.

(Both Hervol and Zaback had been qualified for the Massachusetts Open, scheduled June 14-16, but clearly they have other plans now.)

Finishing a stroke higher, at 68-71 – 139, Rob Oppenheim of Andover then lost in a playoff and settled for second alternate honors.

A lengthy list of locals finished outside the cut at Purchase, including Ben Spitz of Milton (74-71), Billy Walthouse of Longmeadow (75-71), Andrew DiRamio of Boston (75-76), Chris Francouer of Amesbury (78-73), Jim Renner of Plainville (80-73), Weston Jones of Sudbury (79-74), and John Hayes of Portland, Maine.

At other sites, the day didn’t go well for other local entrants:

At the Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Fla., Jon Curran of Hopkinton and Matthew Paradis of Hooksett, N.H., finished well outside the number.

At Piedmont Driving Club in Atlanta, Will Dickson of Providence (76-69) fell short, while Evan Harmeling of North Reading withdrew after starting with a 74.

Peter French of Franklin shot 75-69 but finished four shots back of the final qualifying spot at Woodmont CC in Maryland.

Runaway victory for Skoler

Continuing to put a polish on a game that is getting better by the day, Rebecca Skoler of Needham shot a pair of 3-under 70s at Ledgemont CC in Seekonk to cruise to an eight-stroke win in the Mass Golf Women’s Stroke-Play Championship for the Baker Trophy.

Having sat out her freshman year at the University of Virginia, Skoler – last year’s Girls’ Junior Amateur champion – has fully recovered from wrist surgery. She made it into match play at the recent U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-ball Championship and never was threatened at Ledgemont.

Molly Smith, 16, shot 148 to finish second, while Alison Park, the reigning State Women’s Amateur champion, was third, at 151.

Caron second in Conn. Women’s Open

Liz (Janangelo) Caron, the West Hartford, Conn., native who starred at Duke and played professionally, shot 76-74 to finish second to Melissa Siviter in the Connecticut Women’s Open at the Black Hall Club in Old Lyme, Conn.

Now married to Cape Cod native and former PGA Tour player Jason Caron, Liz is a teaching pro at the Mill River Club in Oyster Bay, N.Y., where her husband is the head professional.

Lynn Valentine, a native of Old Lyme who is a teaching professional at Broken Sound Golf Club in Boca Raton, Fla., finished T-25, while longtime New England PGA member Susan Bond was T-27.

Maintaining excellence

Familiar names took home the top prizes in the Massachusetts Senior Four-ball Championships. Steve Tasho (Thorny Lea GC) and Keith Smith (Franklin CC) came from behind with a 5-under 67 at Foxboro CC to finish at 7-under 136 and edge first-round co-leaders Tai Lee (Granite Links) and Jim Bandera (Plymouth CC) by two.

Lee and Bandera had opened with 4-under 67 at Walpole CC but only shot 71 at Foxboro.

Smith’s eagle at the par-5 11th provided crucial for the winning team, which was comprised of two guys who know a thing or two about winning four-ball tournaments. Years ago, Tasho won the State Four-ball title twice with Bruce Chalas, while Smith teamed with Dave Turgeon to win the State Senior Four-ball in 2014.

In the Super-Senior Division, more familiarity dominated as Jim Ruschioni (Wachusett CC) and Paul Nunez (Ludlow) shot 72-67 – 139 and rallied to overtake the Fasick Brothers, Jon and Carter, 68-72 – 140.

Ruschioni, who won the State Four-ball in 1996 and 2001 with his son, Jason, continued a successful partnership with Nunez. They previously had won the State Senior Four-ball four times.

Around New England

Derek Devereaux opened with a 65 to build a commanding lead, then closed 78 – 143 to hold on to win the Maine Mid-Amateur Championship at Brunswick GC. Jeff Cole (76-68) and James Frost (74-70) shared second at 144 . . . . . Harvin Groft shot 76-70 to win the New Hampshire Players Invitational by one stroke at Baker Hill GC in Newbury. Josh Farmer and Mark Stevens were tied for second. In the Senior Division, Tony Fournier shot 78-73 to post a two-stroke win . . . . . Heralded as one of the country’s newest must-see golf destinations, the Sand Valley Golf Resort in Nekoosa, Wisc., came up with probably the best way to experience it – a Two-Man Links and Father-Son tournament. The Eastward Ho! duo of Jack Bohman and son Lane, a member of the golf team at Babson College, took part and fared well. They shot 67-69-70 – 206 to finish tied for fourth overall after competition on the courses designed by Coore & Crenshaw (Sand Valley) and David McKlay-Kidd (Mammoth Dunes).

On the rise

1 – That noise you hear is Megan Khang (five top 10s in the last nine majors) about to kick open the door.

Not captivating

2 – As a public facility, Torrey Pines offers brilliant golf courses, both South and North. But as a U.S. Open stage, the South is uninspiring.

On the flip side

3 – But it does get the national open to San Diego, which is a good thing.

Say it when you can

4 – The shame of not having more match play is the scarcity of hearing “dormie.” Lovely word.

Think the pool is deep?

5 – Cursory scan of U.S. Open final qualifying shows that among those who failed to advance were two former U.S. Open champs, three other major winners, 31 players who have won on the PGA Tour, a onetime world No. 1, two past FedExCup champions, and more than 50 who have or have had full PGA Tour status.

Which leads me to ask

6 – Glamorous business, eh?

It’s a fact

7 –The quickest route to water right is to aim left.

They are not connected in any way

8 – Presently, of the top 10 in the world, eight are likely to be on the U.S. Ryder Cup team, two are going to be on the European team. But, as a reminder, at this point in 2004 the Euros had one Ryder Cupper in the top 10 and in 2006 at this point they had two. Euros, of course, annihilated the Americans by a combined 18 ½ to 9 ½ those years.

Serenity to end the day

9 – Should you find pleasure in a 7 p.m. arrival at your local golf course to chip and putt for an hour or more, we can be friends.

Showing a great respect for safety, Ruby will obediently sit buckled up in the passenger seat during her tours of duty at Olde Scotland Links in Bridgewater.

Superintendent James Small’s 2 ½-year-old Golden Retriever is ready to go, however, whenever given the OK. “She loves chasing just about anything with fur or feathers,” said Small, who concedes that the challenge is to break Ruby of her of inherent urge to “retrieve,” and sometimes that covers golf balls, too.

Lengthy drives are usually safe, but Ruby’s been known to “improperly return” shots inside of 100 yards. “Mostly to the feet of amused golfers,” said Small, who confirms that Ruby is well received by those who meet her at Olde Scotland Links – and for good reason. She’s fast, attentive, and quite in love with golf.

Have a great photo of your golf course dog? We’d love to include it in “Power Fades.” Email jim@powerfades.com