A place on the calendar is often reserved for thoughts on Phil Mickelson completing the career big shot that has given The Country Club a new look. Kicking off the 122nd US Open with an 8-of-78 on Thursday, the six-time Major champion’s defeated look in his press conference earlier this week leaked into his performance on the court.
Starting his day with bogeys on three of his first five holes, it looks like the newly minted 52-year-old will be back on track as his swing approaches par- 3 stable sixths into a convertible birdie distance. Disaster struck Mickelson instead when he ended up being penalized four times for a brace.
It was the moment when it seemed all the fuss from the past four months had finally come to him.
Depressed, Mickelson continued. Despite his poor play, he was still able to pull off some classic likes as well as some classic moments.
A satay wedge at par-3 11 led to his only birdie of the day, and was followed by a par-4 bogey double on day 12, in which Mickelson nearly dashed from the middle of the fairway to save the bogey. . As Alan from “The Hangover” would say, “Vintage Phil.”
Five pars in a row came before a final trick brought Mickelson’s championship tally to eight. Now he’s found his name in the 146th draw and is just ahead of six opponents. another player in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Snarky’s comments regarding his performance and constant piling up were inevitable, but in the context of a man in his 50s making mistakes with just three rounds under the belt since mid-February, they don’t seem fair.
