British Open Golf 2011: Ranking the Top 3 Meltdowns of Phil Mickelson's Career

Andrew KulhaJul 17, 2011

Phil Mickelson is one of the most endearing golfers in the sport, and he is definitely a fan favorite, especially in the United States.

His vulnerability, with personal struggles and his struggles on the golf course, has caused most golf fans to fall in love with Lefty.

To be honest, he is also an incredible golfer, too, so it’s not just about the personality.

Unfortunately for Mickelson, though, he has been labeled somewhat of a choke-artist, and for good reason.

His career has been littered with second-place finishes that should have been tournament or championship wins, but he flaked in the final holes to put himself out of contention.

Once could be considered a fluke, but this has been a trend.

Mickelson once again let a championship slip away from him today at the 2011 British Open.

Here are the top three “Mickelson Meltdowns” of his career.

3. 2009 U.S. Open

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Mickelson flaked like Tony the Tiger at the 109th U.S. Open.

He birdied holes No. 9 and 12 and then eagled No. 13, which put him at four-under-par and in a tie with Lucas Glover for the lead.

Things were looking phenomenal for Lefty, and it seemed as though he had grabbed both the momentum and the championship.

He went on to bogey holes 15 and 17 to finish two strokes behind the champion.

2. 2011 British Open

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This may not be the biggest choke job of Mickelson’s career, but it probably could rank as the most disappointing.

He has never really been a factor at the Open, so the fact that on championship Sunday Lefty decided to shoot a front-nine 30 to tie eventual-champion Darren Clarke for the lead was astonishing.

Mickelson bogeyed a short put on 11, though, and then continued his slide with bogeys on 13, 15, and 16.

He was so close to getting one step closer to the career Grand Slam, but once again he choked it away.