Mickelson amazed by hard-headed marshal

With a 4-under 68 on Thursday, Phil Mickelson did more than just survive his first round at the Memorial.

And so did the marshal he struck on the skull with his tee shot on 15.

"He didn't go down. He didn't go down at all," Mickelson said, flabbergasted, according to ESPN. "He was just laughing about it. 'Yeah no big deal, it hit me in the head.' And the ball went shooting across the fairway into the left rough, from the right rough.

"I don't know how he did it. He was smiling. I don't know how he took that. It was impressive."

This isn't the first time, of course, Mickelson nearly took a casualty with one of his trait on-course adventures - but this marshal was certainly the toughest.

"I've hit a lot of people, okay, a lot of people. No one has taken it that well."

Mickelson birdied the hole.