Phil Mickelson’s Major Window Looks Shut as British Open Title Defense Begins

By
at Internationaled.org

Published: July 14, 2014

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HOYLAKE, England—The one admission was unavoidable.

“It hasn’t been a very good year,” affirmed Phil Mickelson.

Not at all. Not when he missed the cut in the Masters and finished 28th in the U.S. Open. Not when he couldn’t crack the top 10 in any tournament on Tour since August.

Here Mickelson sat, with all his endorsement labels, Barclays on the vest sweater, Callaway on the shirt sleeve, KPMG on the hat, talking about last year.

Here, he spoke of how he watches replays of that Open Championship victory in 2013 at Muirfield. Talked of how he enjoyed drinking a bottle of 1990 Romanee Conti—priced in the $20,000 range—from the Claret Jug, the winner’s trophy.



It all came together for Mickelson in 2013 at Muirfield. It hasn’t since, and it probably never will again.

He can’t even win a regular tournament. How is he going to win another Open Championship, another British Open?

The best parts of his game—the chipping, the short irons, the putting—the most important factors for any golfer—saving strokes, getting the ball in the cup—have become the worst parts of his game.

He admits that.

“It has not been a good putting year,” he said Monday.

And, “I’ve struggled with my short irons, which has always been my strength. I haven’t been that sharp.”

His Open defense begins Thursday at Royal Liverpool, also known as Hoylake for the town in which it is located. Across the Mersey River from Beatles history. Across a great divide from Mickelson’s game of 12 months ago.

“The tough part about it is that when you try to have a round like that,” he said of that magnificent finish, the 66 the last day at Muirfield, “that’s when it all goes sout...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Golf

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