SANDWICH, England – Phil Mickelson had a chance to win the Open Championship but didn’t. Unlike many of the other near misses he’s had over his illustrious career, this one didn’t seem to bother him as much.
Mickelson tried to convince himself that this was the first time he had played in the British Open, a ploy of sorts to erase his memory of Opens past where he performed poorly. That wasn’t the only first.
“This was the first time we’ve been to the British as a family,” Amy Mickelson said Sunday after her husband tied for second place with Dustin Johnson, three shots behind Darren Clarke. “We were going to go two years ago [at Turnberry] and we didn’t go because I got sick.
Phil was 6 under after 10 holes and jumped quickly into contention at Royal St. George’s. But bogeys on three of the last eight holes derailed his hopes of a first British Open.
“It was incredible,” said Bones Mackay, Phil’s longtime caddie. “After the putt on 6 he said to me, ‘this is about as much fun as I’ve ever had playing golf.’ It was cool.”
Said Amy: “We had a great week. Phil enjoyed being with the kids. It’s been fun.’