U.S. Open still remains 'nightmare' for Mickelson, even after joining LIV Golf
BROOKLINE, MA – Phil Mickelson's attempt to complete his career grand slam at 122nd U.S. Open comes into a failure once again, after the 52 year-old missed the halfway cut after Friday's 2nd round at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachussetts. And perhaps still, U.S. Open remains misery to win it for the lefty, who had won three Masters, two PGAs and a British Open.
The Arizonian had finished 2nd or tied 2nd many times in his entire U.S. Open career. In 1999, Mickelson needs a birdie putt to force Payne Stewart an 18-hole playoff, but ended up with Mickelson made par and Stewart holed birdie putt to win his last major, three months before Stewart killed in the airplane crash.
In 2006, more drama happened at Winged Foot, as Mickelson needs par to win the U.S. Open title. However, Mickelson missed the 72nd fairway and green and double-bogeyed the hole. Australia's Geoff Ogilvy became eventual champion.
Mickelson's karma to win the U.S. Open got even worse, after he recently signed to LIV Golf, in which rules said that a PGA Tour player will be indefinitely suspended for intentionally joining that Greg Norman-founded tour (LIV Golf).
- Bad karma for Mickelson after joining LIV Golf?
Earlier this month, it was recently reported that Mickelson signed a contract worth US$200 million by committing to the LIV series.
On June 8, 2022, at the first press conference of the Invitational Series, the various media present frequently broached the topic of the assassination of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi government in 2018 and the perceived part Phil Mickelson and the other players are taking in "sportswashing" for the Saudi government. In Mickelson's first public appearance after his explosive comments that were published in February 2022 – in which he was highly critical of the PGA Tour, called the Saudis "scary motherf–kers to be involved with" and questioned Saudi Arabia's human rights record – Mickelson offered an apology by stating "There are a lot of things that I regret and I am sorry for the hurt that it's caused a lot of people. I don't condone human rights violations at all. Nobody here does … throughout the world. And I'm certainly aware of what has happened with Jamal Khashoggi and I think it's terrible." He was then asked by a reporter if he was concerned about being seen as a "tool of sportswashing" and that he could be seen as a "Saudi stooge" and "tarnish" his legacy (sportswashing), to which Mickelson replied "I said earlier, I don't condone human rights violations," Mickelson said. "I don't know how else I can be any more clear. Again, I love this game of golf, I've seen the good that it's done and I see the opportunity for LIV Golf to do a lot of good for the world and I'm excited to be a part of this opportunity."
Mickelson was asked about his previously reported use of the word "leverage" when referring to using the Saudi series against the PGA Tour, and the fact that he's now "representing the very people you were using as leverage." Mickelson replied "I've really enjoyed my time on the PGA Tour, I've had a lot of incredible experiences, some great memories, and I have a lot of strong opinions on what could and should be a lot better (with the Tour). One of the mistakes I've made is voicing those publicly. So, I will really make an effort to keep those conversations behind closed doors going forward. I think that’s the way to be most efficient and get the most out of it."
Mickelson was then asked to clarify what he was apologizing for — "for speaking the truth about the Saudis or are you sorry for the shameless hypocrisy of taking their money anyway?", to which Mickelson replied "I've always seen the good that the game of golf has done throughout history and I believe that LIV Golf is going to do a lot of good for the game as well and I'm excited about this opportunity and that's why I'm here."
Mickelson later added "I understand that many people have very strong opinions and many disagree with my decision, and I can empathize with that, but at this time, this is an opportunity that gives me a chance to have the most balance in my life going forward and I think this is going to do a lot of good for the game." When asked by the journalists present if he felt the "good of the game" can "make up" for the killing of Khashoggi, Mickelson replied, "Nobody here condones human rights violations and nobody's trying to make up for anything."
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