It's been a fairly impressive spring on the golf course for Bob Ford.
Over the last five weeks, Oakmont Country Club's head professional has played with the Nos. 1 and 2 players in the world on his course.
"It's been pretty special," Ford said Monday afternoon after playing with Phil Mickelson. "Phil is a very engaging guy and was a pleasure to play with. Golf is in very good hands with those guys as the best players in the world."
Ford played with Tiger Woods on April 23 and came away with a similar opinion of the best player in the world.
It was Mickelson's first "playing look" at Oakmont since all the changes, and he handled the new course well. "Probably 1 or 2 over," Ford said when asked how Mickelson scored.
Ford added: "He is so strong, people don't give him enough credit for that. He's a big kid. He hit some shots out of the rough that were very impressive. He's one of the best putters in the world, and when you put him on the best greens in the world, it was interesting to watch.
Ford was even more impressed with the work ethic Mickelson displayed during his time at Oakmont.
"He spent nine hours out on the course (Sunday), practicing, doing research, marking things down," Ford said. "After playing (yesterday), he was going back out to work on the short game again. And he's going to do the same thing (today)."
Ford said Mickelson hit a 3-wood into the ditch to the left of the green on the 288-yard par-3 eighth hole. Mickelson said he'd most likely hit hybrid off that tee in an effort to carry the cross-bunker about 220 yards off the tee and maybe get a bounce onto the putting surface.
On the 667-yard par-5 12th, Mickelson hit driver, hybrid and wedge and called the hole a "classic 3-shot hole."
"He played here in 1994, but loved the new look and had nothing but good things to say about the golf course," Ford said.
Mickelson is scheduled to play in an 18-hole pro-am Wednesday at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, site of this week's Memorial Tournament.
