On cusp of history, Mickelson shoots 63 at British Open, Phil Mickelson was 16 anxiety abroad from a abode in history he wouldn't accept to allotment with anyone.
Fans watched from a rooftop balcony. Royal Troon associates artificial to see out the window from the adviser abaft the 18th green. Jack Nicklaus usually doesn't watch golf on TV, but he fabricated an barring for this moment.
In 436 majors captivated over the endure 156 years, no one had anytime attempt 62.
That's still the case. By a atom of an inch.
"I wish to cry," Mickelson said.
Mickelson acicular his doodle against the aperture and was accessible to footfall into history Thursday in the British Accessible if his baboon putt angry acutely to the appropriate at the aperture of the hole, just abundant to ride the bend about the aback of the cup and sit there, affliction him.
"You fabricated a admirable apprehend and putt on that endure aperture but got actually stone-cold robbed," Nicklaus said in a bulletin on Facebook.
Mickelson plopped his duke on his forehead in disbelief. His caddie, Jim "Bones" Mackay, was so abashed that he fell over backward.
"It was one of the best circuit I've anytime played ... and yet I wish to afford a breach appropriate now," Mickelson said. "That putt on 18 was an befalling to do something historical. I knew it, and with a bottom to go I anticipation I had done it. I saw that brawl rolling appropriate in the center. I went to go get it. I had that billow of adrenaline that I had just attempt 62, and again I had the affliction that I didn't."
No tears were all-important at Royal Troon, not afterwards a annular of 63 that was ablaze even by Lefty's standards, and absolutely not afterwards architecture a three-shot advance over Patrick Reed and Martin Kaymer on an ideal day by the Irish Sea.
Mickelson bedeviled the moment with a baboon on the par-5 16th from a alembic abbreviate of the green, and a 4-iron to 15 anxiety for baboon on the par-3 17th to ability 8-under par. He knew no one had anytime attempt 62 in a major. He aswell knew he a lot of acceptable would never get a adventitious like this.
"That would accept been absolutely something special," he said. "So to accept that putt lip out, that's traveling to bite for a while."
Even with such a abutting call, Mickelson is in acceptable company.
Nicklaus absent a putt just central 3 anxiety for a 62 in the 1980 U.S. Accessible at Baltusrol. Greg Norman had to alone two-putt from 30 anxiety for a 62 at Turnberry in the 1986 British Accessible and took three putts. Tiger Woods watched his 15-foot putt for 62 circuit 270 degrees about the cup in the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills. Nick Price's baboon putt for a 62 in the 1986 Masters biconcave in and out of the cup.
Asked why there had never been a 62 in the major, Mickelson acicular to his putt.
"There's a curse," he said. "Because that brawl should accept been in."
It wasn't for a abridgement of effort. He went with a 6-iron to play a babyish cut aback against the hole, and it formed out perfectly. He brought in his caddie and told him that "I charge your best read." Ernie Els did his part, putting out of about-face to about-face the date over to Mickelson.
The clip was perfect. The putt looked absolute -- until it wasn't. By a fraction.
"I saw that brawl traveling in and I just had a good, bright eyes of what was traveling to happen," he said. "What I didn't see was what happened."
And now, he faces a acknowledgment to reality.
Of the seven antecedent players to accessible with a 63 in a major, alone Nicklaus at the 1980 U.S. Accessible and Raymond Floyd at the 1982 PGA Championship went on to win.
Royal Troon ability not be this affable the blow of the week. The anticipation was for able wind and rain for Friday, abnormally if Mickelson and Kaymer play in the morning. Lefty was accessible to embrace whatever came his way.
"One of the better challenges is if you shoot a annular like this, you alpha expectations active through your arch and so forth, and that's the one affair that I'll accept to try to abolish and authority off," he said. "We'll accept three added rounds. We'll accept capricious altitude tomorrow. It's traveling to be actual difficult."
Eight Americans were a part of the top 11 on the leaderboard at Royal Troon, area they accept won the Accessible the endure six times. That accumulation included Steve Stricker, the 49-year-old in his aboriginal above this year, and Justin Thomas, the 23-year-old in his aboriginal British Open.
Defending best Zach Johnson had a adventitious to shoot 63 if he birdied the endure two holes. He went bogey-bogey for a 67.
But this day was all about Mickelson, who never actively came abutting to authoritative bogey. He absent alone three greens and two fairways, one on the 18th if he switched to a 3-wood and, acumen what was at stake, beatific his attempt against a pot bunker.
It bounced just far abundant larboard to abstain it. It looked as admitting aggregate was traveling to his way. Appropriate until the final inch.
Fans watched from a rooftop balcony. Royal Troon associates artificial to see out the window from the adviser abaft the 18th green. Jack Nicklaus usually doesn't watch golf on TV, but he fabricated an barring for this moment.
In 436 majors captivated over the endure 156 years, no one had anytime attempt 62.
That's still the case. By a atom of an inch.
"I wish to cry," Mickelson said.
Mickelson acicular his doodle against the aperture and was accessible to footfall into history Thursday in the British Accessible if his baboon putt angry acutely to the appropriate at the aperture of the hole, just abundant to ride the bend about the aback of the cup and sit there, affliction him.
"You fabricated a admirable apprehend and putt on that endure aperture but got actually stone-cold robbed," Nicklaus said in a bulletin on Facebook.
Mickelson plopped his duke on his forehead in disbelief. His caddie, Jim "Bones" Mackay, was so abashed that he fell over backward.
"It was one of the best circuit I've anytime played ... and yet I wish to afford a breach appropriate now," Mickelson said. "That putt on 18 was an befalling to do something historical. I knew it, and with a bottom to go I anticipation I had done it. I saw that brawl rolling appropriate in the center. I went to go get it. I had that billow of adrenaline that I had just attempt 62, and again I had the affliction that I didn't."
No tears were all-important at Royal Troon, not afterwards a annular of 63 that was ablaze even by Lefty's standards, and absolutely not afterwards architecture a three-shot advance over Patrick Reed and Martin Kaymer on an ideal day by the Irish Sea.
Mickelson bedeviled the moment with a baboon on the par-5 16th from a alembic abbreviate of the green, and a 4-iron to 15 anxiety for baboon on the par-3 17th to ability 8-under par. He knew no one had anytime attempt 62 in a major. He aswell knew he a lot of acceptable would never get a adventitious like this.
"That would accept been absolutely something special," he said. "So to accept that putt lip out, that's traveling to bite for a while."
Even with such a abutting call, Mickelson is in acceptable company.
Nicklaus absent a putt just central 3 anxiety for a 62 in the 1980 U.S. Accessible at Baltusrol. Greg Norman had to alone two-putt from 30 anxiety for a 62 at Turnberry in the 1986 British Accessible and took three putts. Tiger Woods watched his 15-foot putt for 62 circuit 270 degrees about the cup in the 2007 PGA Championship at Southern Hills. Nick Price's baboon putt for a 62 in the 1986 Masters biconcave in and out of the cup.
Asked why there had never been a 62 in the major, Mickelson acicular to his putt.
"There's a curse," he said. "Because that brawl should accept been in."
It wasn't for a abridgement of effort. He went with a 6-iron to play a babyish cut aback against the hole, and it formed out perfectly. He brought in his caddie and told him that "I charge your best read." Ernie Els did his part, putting out of about-face to about-face the date over to Mickelson.
The clip was perfect. The putt looked absolute -- until it wasn't. By a fraction.
"I saw that brawl traveling in and I just had a good, bright eyes of what was traveling to happen," he said. "What I didn't see was what happened."
And now, he faces a acknowledgment to reality.
Of the seven antecedent players to accessible with a 63 in a major, alone Nicklaus at the 1980 U.S. Accessible and Raymond Floyd at the 1982 PGA Championship went on to win.
Royal Troon ability not be this affable the blow of the week. The anticipation was for able wind and rain for Friday, abnormally if Mickelson and Kaymer play in the morning. Lefty was accessible to embrace whatever came his way.
"One of the better challenges is if you shoot a annular like this, you alpha expectations active through your arch and so forth, and that's the one affair that I'll accept to try to abolish and authority off," he said. "We'll accept three added rounds. We'll accept capricious altitude tomorrow. It's traveling to be actual difficult."
Eight Americans were a part of the top 11 on the leaderboard at Royal Troon, area they accept won the Accessible the endure six times. That accumulation included Steve Stricker, the 49-year-old in his aboriginal above this year, and Justin Thomas, the 23-year-old in his aboriginal British Open.
Defending best Zach Johnson had a adventitious to shoot 63 if he birdied the endure two holes. He went bogey-bogey for a 67.
But this day was all about Mickelson, who never actively came abutting to authoritative bogey. He absent alone three greens and two fairways, one on the 18th if he switched to a 3-wood and, acumen what was at stake, beatific his attempt against a pot bunker.
It bounced just far abundant larboard to abstain it. It looked as admitting aggregate was traveling to his way. Appropriate until the final inch.
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