Watch: Phil Mickelson Somehow Misses Shockingly Short Putt at US Open
Phil Mickelson has had one of the best careers of all the golfers currently on the PGA Tour.
But while he’s sank his share of difficult shots, Thursday featured one of the lower points of his career.
Mickelson, who has five major championship victories to his name, is competing in the U.S. Open this week in Pebble Beach, Florida.
As USA Today pointed out, the U.S. Open is the last major he needs to win to complete the career grand slam.
But winning at Pebble Beach might be a tall task for Mickelson, particularly after the way he played Thursday.
On his 12th hole of the day, Mickelson had an opportunity to tap in what seemed to be an easy shot from about 18 inches away.
For a capable golfer like Mickelson, making the shot for par should not have been difficult.
I’ll bet you can guess what happened next:
Phil Mickelson misses “shortest putt of any player on this tour ever,” according to Paul Azinger, who may have a point … pic.twitter.com/wCGCL1isLl
— Christopher Powers (@CPowers14) June 13, 2019
Needless to say, many Twitter users had a similar reaction to Mickelson’s miss.
Phil just missed a putt so short even Kuch would’ve given it to him.
— Jason Sobel (@JasonSobelTAN) June 13, 2019
Phil just missed shortest putt I’ve seen in a long, long, time.#USOpen
— Anthony Rothman (@AnthonyRothman) June 13, 2019
That is the shortest putt I’ve ever seen anyone miss… I don’t believe this
— Phil Mickelson Tracker (@TrackingPhil) June 13, 2019
Overall, it wasn’t a great Day 1 of the U.S. Open for Mickelson, who shot 1-over par in the tournament’s first round.
In other words, had Mickelson made that easy shot for par, he would have finished the day shooting an even par.
Mickelson has come close to winning the U.S. Open on several occasions, but he’s never been able to come through with a victory.
According to ABC News, he’s been the runner-up on six different occasions: 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009 and 2013.
He lost by just one stroke in 1999 and 2006.
In 2006, Mickelson’s drive on the 72nd and final hole of the tournament completely missed the fairway and instead hit a hospitality tent.
And in 1999, Mickelson squandered a birdie opportunity on the 17th hole by missing an 8-foot putt.
Mickelson’s last victory in a major tournament came in 2013 at the Open Championship.
After shooting 5-under on the final day, he finished the tournament at 3-under par.
Prior to the this year’s U.S. Open, Mickelson was given 30-to-1 odds of winning, according to CBS Sports.
Dustin Johnson (7-to-1) was listed as the favorite, followed by Brooks Koepka (8-to-1), with both Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy at 10-1 odds.
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