AUGUSTA, Ga. – Through six holes Phil Mickelson was right where he wanted to be, right where he loves to be.
The three-time Masters champion was cruising along in Round 2 at Augusta National, 1 under for the day and the tournament, and poised to enter the weekend inside the top 10.
That’s when things came apart.
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Lefty made a double bogey-6 at the seventh hole after a wayward approach from 119 yards and played his next four holes in 3 over par. Things just got worse for Mickelson when he found the water at Nos. 15 and 16 for two more double bogeys.
He finished with a 79, his worst round at the Masters, missed the cut for only the third time in his career.
“I don’t know how to explain it. I just threw away a lot of shots. I just made a lot of poor shots in the wrong spot,” Mickelson said. “This is the worst I’ve managed myself around this golf course. I love this tournament so much, and I’ve been playing so well, to come in and make some of those mistakes is very disappointing.”
Mickelson birdied the 17th hole to move to within one stroke of the cut line, but his 22-footer for birdie at the last raced past the hole. He finished at 7 over par.