Phil Mickelson Ripped for Missing Cut at 2022 US Open After LIV Golf Participation
June 17, 2022
One week after making his LIV Golf debut, Phil Mickelson turned in a disastrous performance at the U.S. Open and missed the cut.
After shooting an eight-over 78 in Thursday's first round at the Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, Lefty followed up with a three-over 73 in Friday's second round, leaving him at 11 over for the tournament and in a tie for 143rd place at the conclusion of his round.
The 52-year-old Mickelson is a six-time major winner who was looking to complete the career Grand Slam, but he didn't come close and instead missed the fifth U.S. Open cut of his career.
Mickelson was off target for much of his 36-hole run in Brookline, even hitting a spectator with an errant shot during the second round:
Julio Cortez @JulioCortez_APA fan reacts after being hit by a ball from Phil Mickelson on the third hole during the second round of the U.S. Open golf tournament at The Country Club, Friday, June 17, 2022, in Brookline, Mass. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PhilMickelson?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PhilMickelson</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USOpen2022?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USOpen2022</a> <a href="https://t.co/tlu6yGNoCt">pic.twitter.com/tlu6yGNoCt</a>
Large groups tend to follow golfers who are performing well, but as seen in the following video, the spectacle of Mickelson's poor performance drew a big crowd as well:
The social media reaction to Mickelson's showing was largely negative as many took shots at his decision to join the Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf circuit.
One of the unique concepts introduced by LIV Golf is the absence of a cut during its tournaments, which multiple Twitter users pointed out is not the case on the PGA Tour:
Others referenced that Mickelson chased the money by signing with LIV Golf, as he reportedly landed a $200 million deal to make the move.
Mickelson was on the receiving end of social media barbs from those who wondered if he deserved such a big contract based on how he has been playing lately:
Additional tweets rolled in regarding his struggles and the fact that he was beaten out by most of the amateurs in the U.S. Open field:
Although there were only 156 players in the U.S. Open field, another Twitter user joked that betting on a top-150 finish by Mickelson came down to the wire:
While Mickelson has not joined some of his LIV Golf peers in resigning from the PGA Tour, the tour has made it clear LIV Golf players won't be permitted to play in PGA Tour events.
Mickelson can still compete in majors because of exemptions, but his immediate future in golf will primarily relate to LIV Golf.
Last week, he finished in a tie for 33rd place at 10 over in the LIV Golf event in London following a long layoff from competition of any kind.
Mickelson likely still has some solid golf left in him—he became the oldest major winner ever last year when he won the PGA Championship—but he is clearly in a funk.