Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images
A week after making his LIV Golf debut, Phil Mickelson had a disastrous performance at the US Open and missed the cut.
After shooting an eight-for-78 in Thursday’s first round at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, Lefty followed that up with a three-for-73 in Friday’s second round, leaving him at 11 for the tournament and tied for 143rd in the conclusion of his turn.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 52-year-old Mickelson is a six-time major winner who was looking to complete a career Grand Slam but he didn’t come close and instead missed the fifth US Open cup of his career.
Mickelson was off target for much of his 36-hole run at Brookline, even hitting a spectator with an errant shot in round two:
Julio Cortez @JulioCortez_AP
A fan reacts after being hit by a ball from Phil Mickelson on the third hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at The Country Club, Friday, June 17, 2022, in Brookline, Mass. #PhilMickelson #USOpen2022 pic.twitter.com/tlu6yGNoCt
Large groups tend to follow golfers who perform well, but as seen in the following video, the spectacle of Mickelson’s poor performance also drew a large crowd:
Phil Mickelson Tracker @TrackingPhil
Wow. Look at the galleries after a +11 Phil Mickelson. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/PWgVHgMudc
Social media reaction to Mickelson’s performance was largely negative, as many criticized his decision to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour.
One of the unique concepts introduced by LIV Golf is the absence of cups at its tournaments, which several Twitter users say is not the case on the PGA Tour:
It’s not rigged @a year
Did anyone tell Mickelson that there was actually a cut in the tournament? #USOpen
Captain Obvious @RamieEgan
Hi @PhilMickelson THERE IS A CUT IN THIS TOURNAMENT!
Others referred to the fact that Mickelson chased the money by signing with LIV Golf, while he would have landed a $200 million deal to make the move.
Mickelson was the recipient of social media barbs from those wondering if he deserved such a big deal based on how he’s been playing lately:
Pernell Pellegrin @pernelp
Looks like LIV Live may have overpaid for this guy Mickelson pic.twitter.com/TBwmarVdQx
pete craske @Craske Pete
Crazy, Mickelson is paid 200 million, and in current form, I should give him 3 shots!! #usopengolf
Additional tweets came in regarding his struggles and the fact that he was beaten by most US Open fans:
Jason Rogers @JasonARogers
Update from Phil Mickelson pic.twitter.com/F2pfzLvDyo
Dead Solid Perfect @deadsolidp
Phil Mickelson at +11 is ahead of 2 out of 15 amateurs in the field at #USOpen
Although there are only 156 players in the US Open field, another Twitter user joked that betting on a Mickelson top 150 came down to the thread:
Although Mickelson did not join some of his LIV Golf peers in resigning from the PGA Tour, the tour has made it clear that LIV Golf players will not be permitted to participate in PGA Tour events.
Mickelson can still compete in the majors due to exemptions, but his immediate future in golf will primarily be at LIV Golf.
Last week he tied for 33rd place as a 10-year-old during the LIV Golf event in London after a long layoff from all competition.
Mickelson probably still has some solid golf in him – he became the oldest major winner in history last year when he won the PGA Championship – but he’s clearly into the funk.
