Phil Mickelson vs Stephen Gallacher: Recap, Twitter Reaction from 2014 Ryder Cup

The controversial benching on Saturday by United States captain Tom Watson apparently worked for Phil Mickelson.

Mickelson didn't hit a single shot at Gleneagles on Saturday as a result of subpar performances on Friday. A key member of the United States team, Lefty had yet to perform like one until Sunday against Stephen Gallacher.       

He took down Gallacher, 3-and-1, to hold off Europe just a little longer. Of course, the Europeans still won the 2014 Ryder Cup by the close of play.

Gallacher birdied the second hole to take the early lead, though that would only last until hole No. 5. Mickelson birdied to tie the match. He then birdied Nos. 6 and 8 to go up two.

Time was running out for Gallacher, as he had just nine holes remaining to make his move. He birdied holes 10 and 11 to bring the match back to where it all started—even.

It would stay that way until the 15th hole. That's where Lefty regained his early form. He birdied 15, 16 and 17 to take the match.

As a result, fans and analysts took to Twitter to voice their opinions. Bleacher Report's Dan Levy noted that Johnny Miller believes the day off truly did help Mickelson:

Lefty did look noticeably better. He was in-form and took care of business when the match was coming down to its most crucial points. Mickelson took care of business before the par-five 18th, which Shane Bacon of back9network.com tweeted:

NBC's Lisa Myers piggy-backed Bacon's tweet, suggesting that Mickelson could have been as asset to the U.S. on Saturday:

That's not necessarily true. Sometimes a day off can be crucial to re-gaining composure and getting in the right frame of mind to compete in such an important tournament. The pressures of competing can get to the best of players—even a veteran like Mickelson. The day off apparently helped to alleviate the pressure and allowed him to just go out and play his own game on Sunday.

Sean Martin of PGATour.com could tell that Mickelson was playing with a chip on his shoulder:

The extra motivation undoubtedly helped the 44-year-old win on Sunday, but it was all for naught. The defending champions took home the Ryder Cup yet again.

Mickelson wasn't a major contributor, as The Associated Press noted (via ESPN.com) that he competed in just three matches, his fewest in quite some time: "Mickelson will play only three matches this week, his fewest since going 3-0 as a rookie at Oak Hill in 1995."

For Mickelson, his future in the Ryder Cup is unclear. He has played in nine consecutive Ryder Cups, and clearly didn't perform consistently in 2014's installment.

While it might be difficult to leave Mickelson off the team in the future, he might not be placed in important roles moving forward.

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @KennyDeJohn_BR