Phil Mickelson Misses Cut at 2015 Players Championship: Comments, Reaction

Phil Mickelson has now missed three cuts in nine starts this season.

The 44-year-old Hall of Famer and five-time major champion bowed out Friday after two rounds at the 2015 Players Championship with a two-day score of 149 (five over par). Bob Harig of ESPN.com provided comments from Mickelson following the second day:

It's not time to hit the panic button for Lefty's legion of fans because he had just finished tied for second in the Masters Tournament. This outing at TPC Sawgrass nevertheless is a discouraging step back.

Mickelson's knack for finding a sliver of a silver lining will be tested in light of his latest on-course letdown in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Other than runner-up finishes in his past two major appearances, the crafty veteran has shown few signs of his formerly elite game in the past season-plus.

Even with the U.S. Open serving as plenty of incentive to sharpen his skills, Mickelson hasn't shown many signs early on in 2014-15 of a player who's capable of finally completing the career Grand Slam.

Major tournaments have a way of redeeming any shortcomings a season might have. Mickelson nearly salvaged a disappointing 2013-14 campaign at the PGA Championship in the major finale, only to fall one shot short of champion Rory McIlroy.

After his strong showing at the Masters, Mickelson took what positives he could from the result, per AFP's Jim Slater (via Yahoo Sports):

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I feel like this is the way I've been playing but not scoring like this. This is the first week that I've got the score out of myself that I thought I should. I plan on taking the next couple of weeks to work on my game and get it sharp and hopefully use this as a springboard for the rest of the year because I feel like my game has really come around. This week, I played some good golf and hopefully I'll continue the rest of the year.

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It will be key for Mickelson to recover sometime in the next few tournaments, preferably prior to the second major. Otherwise, he'll have a hard time gaining momentum in his bid to add the only major he's missing at the U.S. Open this June.

Mickelson's season is shaping up to be like the one that preceded it, which would normally be a positive sign but isn't in this instance.

Stateside golf fans need young players to continue to step up in the midst of golf's two biggest aging stars' struggles. Mickelson doesn't appear to have the magic he once did, while injuries and competitive rust have plagued Tiger Woods. The American narrative ought to gravitate toward world No. 2 Jordan Spieth, who could be atop the rankings soon enough despite being just 21 years old.