Three of Phil Mickelson’s six major championships came in two years between 2004 and 2006 – and the lefty headed to the 2005 Open full of confidence.
Yet to lift a Claret Jug, Mickelson was among the favourites ahead of the 134th edition at St Andrews. However, after finishing in a tie for 60th at one over, Mickelson watched on as Tiger Woods won his second Open Championship at the Old Course.
After finishing well out of contention, Mickelson struggled at golf’s ancestral home, and his comments before The Open did not age well.
What Phil Mickelson said before the 2005 Open Championship
During his pre-tournament press conference, Mickelson claimed that, in certain conditions, the Old Course played like an American-style course, allowing players to fly the ball onto the green and subsequently shoot lower scores.
“I do like this golf course a lot. And I think the conditions that we’re having is going to allow for lower scoring and not nearly as many big numbers, which is going to create a bunching of the field, in my opinion,” Mickelson said.
“And if the wind were to blow, it would be a whole different golf course, and we’ll see a lot more separation in the scores. But the way it is in the practice rounds, and obviously it could change overnight, but the way it is in the practice rounds, we should see a lot of people being able to play through the air, not have to hit along the ground, play through the air, fly balls on the green, get it stopped and be able to make birdies.”
He added: “A lot of it plays very similar to the States, where there’s no wind because you can fly balls on the green, you play through the air, and it’s a normal shot as we play back in the States. But if it just gets a little bit of wind, it plays totally different. Now you can no longer fly balls on the green that are downwind, or you’re hitting a lot longer shot into the wind, and the wind will take it offline if it’s playing longer. It just right now is playing not like it normally does.”
Mickelson would eventually win The Open in 2013 and contend three years later at Royal Troon. Mickelson’s head-to-head with Henrik Stenson at the 2016 Open was some of the best golf ever seen in the sport’s most prestigious major championship.
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Phil Mickelson’s record at St Andrews
Including the 2005 edition, Mickelson has played five Open Championships at St Andrews throughout his career.
And it’s fair to say he’s had varying levels of success.
During his first appearance in 2000, he ended the tournament in a tie for 11th on seven under, 12 shots back of eventual winner Woods. The lefty was nine under before he encountered trouble on the famous Road Hole during the final round.
In 2010, Mickelson once again ended the week over par and well off the pace set by Louis Oosthuizen at the top of the leaderboard.
He improved in 2015 after posting seven under and missed the cut in 2022. Mickelson’s appearance at St Andrews two-and-a-half years ago came after he had taken an extended break from professional golf, which had caused him to miss the Masters and PGA Championship.
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