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Last week was heartbreaking for Phil Mickelson, as the veteran golfer missed the cut at the 125th U.S. Open at Oakmont, which might have been his last. There was a time, though, when Mickelson came close to winning the U.S. Open.
Lefty has won six majors - three at the Masters, two at the PGA Championship and one at the Open. He had one mountain to climb to enter the club of Grand Slam winners, but the U.S. Open eluded him.
In 2006, a 36-year Phil Mickelson arrived at Winged Foot winning the year's previous two Majors. As he approached the final hole, he made a blunder that cost him the chance of winning the U.S. Open, finishing tied second, with Geoff Oglivy taking the win.
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Golf Ballin Pod shared a throwback of the incident on Instagram on Wednesday (June 18):
Phil Mickelson had an exceptional performance through the first 71 holes. Lefty had put his scrambling skills to test at the tough setup at Winged Foot until the final par 4 hole 18.
Mickelson was leading the field by a stroke and only needed a par to win the title. However, his driver shot sent the ball into a hospitality tent, while his second from the rough struck a tree. His third shot landed in the Fried Egg lie in a greenside bunker, resulting in a double bogey.
Oglivy kept his nerves, though, scoring a par on the challenging 18th hole to finish with 5-over par 285. With Lefty and Montgomery double bogeying, Oglivy took the win.
When Phil Mickelson expressed his shock regarding his 2006 US Open loss
Mickelson experienced a gut-wrenching defeat at Winged Foot Golf in 2006. It was probably his worst near miss, and from the six-time major champion's words, the emotional toll was quite visible.
After losing due to a blunder on the last hole, Phil Mickelson called himself an "idiot". He said in the press conference:
"Well, I still am in shock that I did that. I just can't believe that I did that. I am such an idiot. I just couldn't hit a fairway all day. I just couldn't hit a fairway all day. It really stings.
"As a kid I dreamt of winning this tournament. I came out here and worked hard all four days, haven't made a bogey all week and then bogeyed the last hole. Even a bogey would have gotten me into a playoff. I just can't believe I did that."
With six second-place finishes, the 55-year old holds the record for most runner-up finishes in the major's history.
