Elusive US Open title Phil’s target
INCENTIVE: CAREER GRAND SLAM BECKONS MICKELSON
Veteran star came close in 2004, losing to Retief Goosen.
Time may be growing short, but that doesn’t mean Phil Mickelson can afford to hurry as he vies for the US Open title that has long eluded him at Shinnecock Hills this week.
“The last thing I’m thinking about right now is trying to win,” Mickelson told reporters this week. “When you try to go out and win a US Open you will lose it quick.”
Mickelson, who turns 48 on Saturday, has experienced much heartbreak in 26 prior US Opens.
His six runner-up finishes are a record, and with the US Open the only Major missing from his CV, Mickelson admits the prospect of becoming just the sixth player to complete a career Grand Slam is in his thoughts – even as he aims to play as if it’s not.
“I love that I have another opportunity to try and complete the career Grand Slam,” Mickelson said. “My goal, though, is not to try to win on Thursday. My goal is to stay in it Thursday, stay in it Friday, and have an opportunity for the weekend.”
Mickelson is playing his third US Open at Shinnecock, the historic course on New York’s Long Island where he finished second in 2004.
Mickelson insists he brings no baggage from his 2004 near-miss, when he double-bogeyed 17 on the Sunday and lost to South Africa’s Retief Goosen by two strokes.
All of his US Open disappointments, Mickelson said, have provided valuable lessons.
He recalled his tie for fourth at the 1995 US Open at Shinnecock – when he played the par-five 16th six-over par for the week.
“In my mind back then, a parfive was a hole you had to make birdie on,” he said. “Now, as I have kind of evolved, I look back and use that negative as a learning experience to help me play better this week.”
Along with wisdom, Mickelson brings a recharged game.
He claimed his first title in nearly five years in the WGC Mexico Championship in March. His six top-10 finishes on the US PGA Tour this year also include a tie for second at Pebble Beach.
He gathered steam on Sunday with a final-round 65 in Memphis to finish tied for 12th.
“Certainly the way I’ve been playing this year – and at the consistency level as well as at a much higher level than I’ve played the last few years – gives me a great opportunity,” he said.