Phil Mickelson left Oakmont and the US Open without speaking to the media on Friday, as he faces up to the real possibility that it could have been his final appearance in the tournament
Phil Mickelson’s likely final US Open ended in disappointment(Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)
Golf legend Phil Mickelson’s US Open career may have drawn to a close at Oakmont, with the 54 year old American missing the cut and departing without speaking to the media. With his 55th birthday looming on Monday, Mickelson’s chances of securing a career Grand Slam are slipping away.
Mickelson’s tournament exit was sealed when he missed a crucial putt in the rain. But despite the disappointment, he showed a touch of class as he left the course. Departing the iconic venue, Mickelson was seen distributing gifts to security personnel.
In a lighter moment, Mickelson chatted with fellow golfer Ben Griffin about sunglasses, discussing the Uswing Mojing model that he has favoured for several years.
Griffin recalled: “He was wearing a different pair of sunglasses, but was getting ready to put on the same models that I wear, the Uswing Mojing sunglasses.
“He started wearing them four or five years ago. I think his first week might have been when he won the PGA Championship. The sunglasses are designed for golf and he pointed them out and I was like: Yeah, where are yours at?’
“He was getting ready to put his on. He was wearing some flashy Raybans or whatever to warm up in. But, yeah, Phil is a great guy, it was good to talk to him,” reports the Mirror US.
The 55-year-old showed his class when he distributed gifts to security personnel
Griffin reflected on the possibility that this could be Mickelson’s last shot at glory, saying: “Yeah, unfortunately my memories of him are not winning because I know he needs it for the Grand Slam. Growing up, I enjoyed watching him and Tiger [Woods] go head-to-head, along with other big names.
“Phil is a guy that I definitely watched throughout my junior golf and throughout childhood and was a good guy to kind of follow and be inspired by.
“I think Tiger kind of stole the show for most of my childhood, just the way he was so dominant and winning majors. It was pretty inspiring.
“I think that’s why the talent level is so good nowadays, especially with kids coming out because we’re kind of the first generation of guys that grew up watching Tiger and he made golf really cool and there’s why there’s such a huge influx of new golfers and the talent pool is growing.
It was likely Mickelson’s last appearance at the US Open(Image: Getty Images)
“Whereas when Tiger first came on Tour, there was a lot of golfers still and a lot of high-quality golfers, but I think nowadays the pool of people that play competitive golf is just way higher.
“Because of that, it’s way more difficult, and you’re not seeing too many dominant players, except for maybe Scottie Scheffler.”
