Phil Mickelson’s history with the U.S. Open might be coming to an end this week at Oakmont, a fact he acknowledged and one that he seems content with after a career of near-misses and might-have-beens and amazing close calls.
He arrives at the venerable Western Pennsylvania course seeking to complete the career Grand Slam, a story line that is unlikely to have much punch this week given his recent play and major championship track record.
Mickelson also came to the cusp of the career Grand Slam late, having won the British Open at Muirfield in 2013 at 43, a surprising victory that occurred just a month after another excruciating loss at the U.S. Open.
The 45-time PGA Tour winner, who controversially signed with LIV Golf in 2022, also had a surprising late-career major win at the 2021 PGA Championship, where he defeated Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen to claim a second PGA Championship and sixth major title.
In doing so, he became the oldest major championship winner in history at age 50.
In addition to the three Masters, two PGAs and one Open, part of Mickelson’s legacy will be his frustrating inability to win a U.S. Open. Heading into his 34th U.S. Open this week, here’s a look Mickelson’s record six runner-up finishes in the championship.
1999: Pinehurst
Winner: Payne Stewart by one shot
The beeper (an ancient form of communication) in his golf bag was the big story at Pinehurst as the birth of Mickelson’s first child was imminent. He insisted that he would leave if his wife, Amy, contacted him that she was going into labor at home in Arizona. Mickelson was in contention all week, as was Tiger Woods—who at the time had just one major title. It was the first time they battled in the same major. Lefty made just one birdie in the final round playing with Payne Stewart, who had a one-shot lead heading to the 18th hole. Stewart missed the fairway and needed to hit a third shot onto the green, where Mickelson two-putted for par. A playoff seemed inevitable, but Stewart made a 15-footer for par and to win his third major title and second U.S. Open. “Good luck with the baby; there’s nothing like being a father,” Stewart said afterward to Mickelson, who made it home for the birth of his daughter the next day. Stewart died months later in a private plane crash.
2002: Bethpage Black
Winner: Tiger Woods by three
Mickelson started the final round five strokes back of Woods and was unable to take advantage of a couple of early Woods three-putts, making his own mistakes on the front nine. But he had a huge outpouring of support from New York fans (beginning the narrative that he’d be a perfect U.S. Ryder Cup captain at Bethpage) but didn’t have enough to overtake Woods, who led after every round. Mickelson shot even-par 70 to finish alone in second. “This was certainly not a disappointing day. It was one of the most exciting days that I’ve had in the game of golf,” Mickelson said.
2004: Shinnecock Hills
Winner: Retief Goosen by two shots
This was a tough one for Mickelson, who won the Masters for his first major title and contended in all four majors in 2004. Tied with Retief Goosen after 36 holes and two back through 54, Mickelson birdied the 15th and 16th holes to take the lead. But he ran into trouble at the 17th where a stone behind his ball in a bunker coupled with a Goosen birdie meant a three-shot swing as Lefty made a double bogey. Goosen and Mickelson were the only players to finish under par. "I don’t know what to say. I felt like I played some of the best golf of my life,” Mickelson said. “I hit some of the best shots, I putted better than I probably have ever putted, and I still couldn't shoot par [on Sunday].''
2006: Winged Foot
Winner: Geoff Ogilvy by one shot
You can argue that this was Mickelson’s toughest U.S. Open loss. You can also argue he had no business winning the tournament. He hit just two fairways in the final round at Winged Foot and yet somehow managed to stand on the 18th tee with a one-shot lead. But his tee shot sailed well left of the fairway, bounced off a hospitality tent and into the rough where Mickelson attempted to play a heroic shot around a tree. Instead the ball hit the tree, leading to a double bogey when a bogey would have gotten him into a playoff. “I can’t believe I did that. I’m such an idiot,” Mickelson said afterward.
2009: Bethpage Black
Winner: Lucas Glover by two shots
A tournament plagued by rain and poor weather spilled over to Monday and Mickelson found himself in contention with leaders Lucas Glover and Ricky Barnes. A Mickelson eagle at the 13th tied him for the lead with Glover but he missed a short birdie putt at the 14th, three-putted the 15th and missed another close birdie chance at the 16th. A bogey at the 17th ended his chances. Mickelson tied for second with Barnes and David Duval. Mickelson’s wife was about to undergo cancer treatments. “I think maybe it's more in perspective for me, because I feel different this time,” Mickelson said afterward. “I don’t know where to go with this because I want to win this tournament badly. This is now my fifth second. I play well in this event and enjoy this event. It’s a challenge for me because it’s difficult off the tee. It’s not as easy to get up and down around the greens, but I thought the way the courses have been set up the last couple of years, I feel I’ll have more and more chances.''
2013: Merion
Winner: Justin Rose by two shots
Mickelson traveled home to California on the eve of the tournament to attend his daughter Amanda’s eighth-grade graduation (the same daughter who was born just after the 1999 U.S. Open) and arrived back on the East Coast early in the morning of the first round. Playing in the final group Sunday, Mickelson made two doubles in his first five holes, rallied with an eagle at the 10th but missed several opportunities over the closing holes, making bogeys at the 13th, 15th and 18th holes to shoot 74. It was his 43rd birthday. “Heartbreak. This is tough to swallow after coming so close,” he said. “This was my best chance of all of them. I was playing well; I had a golf course I really liked that I could play aggressive on a number of holes. I felt like this was as good an opportunity as I could ask for, and to not get it ... it hurts.''
Since winning the Open at Muirfield to pull within a U.S. Open of the career Grand Slam, Mickelson has not contended, his best finish a tie for 28th in 2014 at Pinehurst. He’s missed the cut the past three years.
Prior to his 2021 PGA victory, the USGA had extended Mickelson a special exemption to compete in the U.S. Open at Torrey Pines that year. The win meant it wasn’t necessary but the five-year exemption for winning expires after this year.
Would the USGA give him a special exemption again? It’s possible, but next year’s U.S. Open is at Shinnecock, the site of Mickelson’s 2018 hockey-stick green debacle during the third round that could have gotten him disqualified. Does the organization want that revisited? Or does it invite a former U.S. Amateur champion (1990) for a 35th playing?
Mickelson could also take part in 36-hole qualifying but doesn’t seem to have much of an opportunity to qualify in any other way given his lack of Official World Golf Ranking events as part of LIV Golf.
“There's a high likelihood that it will be (his last), but I haven't really thought about it too much,” Mickelson said at the LIV Golf event last week.
Mickelson celebrates his 55th birthday on the Monday following the U.S. Open.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Phil Mickelson May Be Playing in His Last U.S. Open. Here Is His Trail of Heartbreak.