At this U.S. Open, Mickelson 'just didn't perform'

By Jerry Potter, USA TODAY
SAN DIEGO — Phil Mickelson turns 38 on Monday, but he plans no big celebration at home in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.

"I'll take it easy," he said Sunday. "I need a day off."

Mickelson finished at 6-over-par 290, a disappointing tie for 18th in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines, a course he played for the first time about 30 years ago. He shot 68 in the final round but had fallen out of contention with 75 on Friday and 76 on Saturday.

This was supposed to be Mickelson's best chance to win an Open, one of two majors the world's No. 2 player has never won. (The other is the British Open.)

"I felt great before the tournament began," Mickelson said. "I just didn't perform."
Always the thinker, Mickelson decided it best to take the driver out of the bag and play his 3-wood off the tee, giving him a better chance to hit fairways. He tried it for two days, but the strategy didn't pay off. He hit only six of 14 fairways each day. He added the driver for the last two rounds, but he hit six fairways Saturday and seven Sunday, finishing at 44.64%, a tie for 79th in driving accuracy.

"I just didn't execute," Mickelson said. "There are some courses that we'll play later when I may use the 3-wood instead of the driver."

He made the choice because he hits the ball about 275 yards with a 3-wood and more than 300 with a driver. The shorter club should have helped him hold it in the fairway.

"I've lost Opens where I didn't hit it in the fairway and I was hitting drivers," he said. "I thought I'd try another club. It didn't work out."

Torrey Pines was redesigned by Rees Jones to force players to hit drivers off the tees as much as possible. Jones rebuilt the greens with plateaus and other obstructions so the hole locations would be difficult to access. The best way to reach them is with short irons into the greens, and the best way to have short irons into the greens is to hit drivers off the tees.

Mickelson might have gotten into the hunt had he not taken a 9 on the par-5 13th on Saturday. Three times he spun the ball back off the green with a wedge.

"I had 82 yards to the pin," he said. "I'm 5 over par. I'm trying to make a birdie and get myself back in contention. I don't regret going for the pin. I just came up short."

With Mickelson, there always questions.

How long will it be before he wins a major championship? He answered that at the 2004 Masters, almost 12 years after turning pro.

How long will it take him to win a second? He answered that in 2005 at the PGA Championship.

Now, how long will it take him to win a U.S. Open? At least another year, when the Open returns to Bethpage Black on Long Island, site of one of his four runner-up finishes.