Ryan Ruffels was standing on the practice green in Australia on Wednesday when his phone rang. The 16-year-old high school junior pulled out his phone and answered it.

“Hey,” the voice on the other end of the line said, “it’s Phil Mickelson.”

Yes, it was Phil Mickelson – the Phil Mickelson, who called Ruffels to talk up his alma mater, Arizona State. The Sun Devils, by the way, are coached by a guy named Tim Mickelson, who just happens to be Phil’s brother.

“I was out here putting and I got this call from an international number and I jumped on my phone and he said, ‘Hey, it’s Phil Mickelson,’ ” Ruffels told The Sydney Morning Herald. “I thought one of my mates from school was giving me a prank call.

Mickelson chatted with the youngster for an hour, and the two made plans to meet when Ruffels travels to the United States in a few weeks.

Ruffels was impressed by the unexpected call from Mickelson, but not overwhelmed. As one of the top junior players in Australia, he’s already played practice rounds with the likes of Adam Scott and Rory McIlroy.

I’m just starting to get some exposure to those big players and it’s great,” Ruffels said. “They’ve obviously won majors and that’s something I’m trying to do when I’m older, so learning the ropes from them is pretty cool.”

Ruffels, now based in Melbourne, was born in the United States but moved to Australia five years ago when his dad got a job as the tennis coach at the Australian Institute of Sport. He won the age 15-17 division in the World Junior Championship in July, and finished fourth in the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship last month.

And about this time a year ago, he became one of the youngest players ever to earn a top-25 finish in the Australian Open – where he got to know Rory McIlroy, who won that tournament. He’s planning to try the Australian Open again in a few weeks, and that’s one more reason for us to pay attention.