Memorial Tournament 2012: Phil Mickelson Withdraws After Poor 1st Round

According to the official Twitter account of the PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson has withdrawn from the Memorial Tournament.

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Mickelson withdrew from @MemorialGolf after his opening 79. It's his worst score ever at Muirfield Village.

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) May 31, 2012"

Mickelson, who cited mental fatigue as the reason for his withdrawal, shot a 79 in the opening round, the worst score of his career at Muirfield Village.

This is the only time we have seen Lefty withdraw from a tournament without suffering a physical injury. Coincidentally, Mickelson threw in the towel at the Memorial four years ago because of an injured wrist.

The second hole was an ominous sign for Mickelson. After parring the opening hole, he double-bogeyed the par-four second. He then went on to shoot par on the next six holes and even showed some semblance of success with a ninth-hole birdie to get back to one over par.

But Mickelson didn't fare so well on the back nine, as he bogeyed 12 through 14, shot par on the 15th, then ended the tournament with a double-bogey followed by two more bogeys to finish at seven over par.

We seldom see that many bogeys on Mickelson's scorecard, which is a pretty good indication that something wasn't right.

Prior to his disastrous first round at the Memorial, Mickelson had fared well in his recent outings, finishing in the top seven in three of the last five tournaments in which he participated. The U.S. Open, an event that Mickelson has never won, is just two weeks away, and he surely wants to be in top shape for one of the biggest spectacles of the year.

He said this, as per USA Today:

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"I think mentally I'm a little bit fatigued," Mickelson said. "I feel like it's the responsibility of a player to see through your commitment and finish the tournament and so forth, and I'm kind of overruling that just a touch because I'm trying to think big picture on what's the best way for me to get ready for the U.S. Open (in two weeks)."

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Mickelson is always a fan favorite wherever he goes, and he will take this time to rest after playing three tournaments over the course of 17 days, from May 3 to May 20.