According to Golf Digest, “In 2006, Mickelson was on fire. He won his second straight PGA Championship at Oakland Hills by a record 15 strokes, then took the U.S. Open at Winged Foot by a record 12 strokes. He was just shy of the biggest collapse in history–Jack Nicklaus’ record 9-shot loss in the 1973 PGA at Merion.”
In 2006, the US Open was held at the Oakmont Country Club in western Pennsylvania. The 18th hole at Oakmont had become one of the toughest holes in the world, with a 500+ yard, par 4. It was a hole that players like Tiger Woods and Ernie Els had struggled with and, in 2006, Phil Mickelson was set to face it. He birdied the first two holes and was in a great position. Then on hole 3, he hit his drive out of bounds and bogeyed the hole. The momentum that he had going for him was gone and he was left with bogey number 3. From there it was all downhill. He added a quadruple bogey on hole 4 and a double
Phil Mickelson, a 45-time PGA Tour winner and six-time major champion, has a record of six second-place finishes at the U.S. Open to his name. On one of those occasions he didn’t actually participate, it was the 2002 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black, which Tiger Woods won, but on each of the other five occasions he was there. If you ask Mickelson what his most heartbreaking loss at the U.S. Open was, we think most people would say he lost on the 72nd hole. Winged Foot tournament hole lost in 2006. But, in Phil’s own words, it wasn’t the match he thought he had the best chance of winning. It was his sixth and final finish at the 2013 U.S. National Championship in Merion, where he lost by two strokes to Justin Rose. Let’s look at both, then you can decide which is worse.. Just three months after his second Masters victory, Mickelson showed up at the 2006 U.S. Open on Winged Foot and played solid golf. In his last two starts, he finished fourth in the Memorial at Muirfield Village and 18th in the Barclays Classic at Westchester Country Club. Phil opened his week at Winged Foot with an even-par 70, making him one of only six players to post at least a par score in the first round. Only Colin Montgomery finished in the red with a 1-under 69. Phil was four strokes behind after 36 holes, but a score of 69 in the third round put him in the lead twice after 54 holes. This Sunday at Winged Foot proved to be one of the most exciting final rounds in the history of the U.S. Open, as no one could take control of the tournament. Mickelson certainly didn’t play his best round, finding just two fairways on the day. But at the start of the par-4 18th, he had a one-point lead. And then it really started. Phil went all the way off his tee shot and sent it to the left, so far to the left that his ball bounced against one of the hospitality tents. He got a bit of a break when he made a decent layup when his ball stopped in the rough. However, there was a tree in the way to the green, which meant he had to go back to the fairway, hit his third stroke on the green, and then make a putt to save par, which is certainly achievable for Mickelson and his incredible short game. But Mickelson had other plans and decided to go around the tree with his second stroke, which ended in disaster: The ball hit the tree and denied him the chance to hit the green. He ended up hitting a bunker on the green, making two bogeys and losing to Jeff Ogilvy. He finished second to Colin Montgomery and Jim Furyk with a 6-over score for the week. After the round, Phil summed up his defeat very simply by saying: I’m an idiot.
Mickelson said his best chance to win the U.S. Open in 2013 was in Merion
. Prior to the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club in suburban Philadelphia, Mickelson had finished third or better in two of the previous three tournaments, third at the Wells Fargo Championship and second at the FedEx St. Louis. Jude Classic. At the end of the first round, which had to be split between Thursday and Friday due to rain delays, Mickelson was one of five players in the red and led by one stroke, 3-under. He played a 2-over 72 in the second round, but still shared the lead with Billy Horschel (1-under). After 54 holes Lefty was the only player under par (1under) and had a one stroke lead over Hunter Mahan, Masters champion Charles Schwartzel and Steve Stricker and two strokes over Horschel, former world number one Luke Donald and Justin Rose. That lead quickly faded when he made two bogeys in the first five holes. But an eagle strikeout on the par-4 tenth got him back in the game. That was the last bright spot of his tournament, however, as he made bogeys on 13, 15 and 18 and finished with a 3-over score, two strokes behind Rose. Mickelson later said it was his best chance to win the U.S. Open (h/t ESPN). Palpitations. It’s hard to swallow after being so close. It was my best chance. I played well; I had a golf course that I really liked and I was able to play aggressively on several holes. I felt like this was a good opportunity to ask and I didn’t get it. Phil Mickelson A month later, Mickelson won the Open at Muirfield, making the U.S. Open the only major championship he has yet to win.
Phil hasn’t finished higher than 28th at the US Nationals since Merion
Phil Mickelson during the first round of the 2021 U.S. Open at Torre Pines | Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images After his sixth-place finish at the 2013 U.S. Open, Mickelson didn’t even come close to the majors he needs to win a career Grand Slam. He finished 28th at Pinehurst in 2014, 16 strokes behind Martin Kaymer. The following year at Chambers Bay, Phil finished 18 strokes behind Jordan Spieth and was 64th. In 2016, he didn’t make the cut at Oakmont, and in 2017, he decided not to play at Erin Hills because he couldn’t get on the tee after attending his daughter’s graduation. Mickelson returned to the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills but finished in 48th place, 15 strokes behind Brooks Koepka. Place. He finished 52nd at Pebble Beach in 2019. He finished 17th, 17 strokes behind Gary Woodland, and didn’t make the cut in 2020 when the U.S. Open returned to Winged Foot. Phil is currently at his 30th birthday party. U.S. Open, and the best players in the world are trying to tame Torrey Pines. COMPARED TO: Phil Mickelson was in the top 100 of the world ranking list for more than 27 years, but never reached the top
Related Tags:
2006 us openpga u.s. open phil mickelsonphil mickelson pga championship 2021phil mickelson exemptionphil mickelson u.s. open runner-upwill phil mickelson play in the u.s. open,People also search for,Privacy settings,How Search works,2006 U.S. Open,Golf,2006 US Open,will phil mickelson play in the u.s. open,pga u.s. open phil mickelson,phil mickelson pga championship 2021,is phil mickelson playing in the pga championship,phil mickelson exemption,phil mickelson u.s. open runner-up,how did phil mickelson qualify for the pga
