For much of the second round of The Masters, it appeared that Phil Mickelson was on course to make the cut at Augusta National and continue his impressive start to the year.
Phil Mickelson needed a fast start on Friday after posting a 75 in the first round at Augusta National. And three birdies in his first 10 holes put the LIV Golf star in prime position to continue his run of not missing a cut at the first major of the year since 2016.
However, things began to fall apart on the 15th hole. Mickelson found the water on his way to making a double bogey. And bogeys on 16 and 18 meant that the three-time champion finished the tournament at five over par.
Mickelson would have been tipped for a good week by many. The 54-year-old was in the mix to win LIV Golf Miami at Doral last week, while he finished second at Augusta as recently as 2023.
Phil Mickelson issues his verdict on Augusta National after missing the cut at The Masters
And it seems that Mickelson was just as surprised as anyone else to fall short of making the weekend.
Certainly, Mickelson had no complaints with the Augusta setup before he went on to discuss his own performance at The Masters.
“I had a lot of fun. I wish I played better. I thought it was great. I thought that it was challenging with the wind today, but the greens were more receptive. I think they put some water on it knowing that. I thought it was playing, fun, great challenge, hard. It’s the Masters; I love everything about it,” he said.
“Yeah, I’ve been playing good golf this year, and so I’m disappointed with my score this week.
But I’ve been playing some good golf. I’ll get back at it here soon.
“It felt like this was a good week, a good opportunity for me, and unfortunately I didn’t score. It’s disappointing because I felt I was playing well enough to at least be in the hunt.
“Yeah, it’s exciting. It’s the Masters. The best players seem to rise. It’s going to be an exciting weekend.
“I did, yeah. I really thought I was going to play well and get right in it. I can’t remember – I haven’t missed very many cuts here, and I’m surprised that I missed one this year because I was playing really well heading in.”
How many times Phil Mickelson has missed the cut at The Masters
Mickelson has now made 32 appearances at The Masters during his career. Of course, he has emerged victorious on three occasions. In total, he has finished in the top five 12 times.
Remarkably, Mickelson has only missed the cut on four occasions. His first missed cut came in 1997, when a certain Tiger Woods confirmed himself as a superstar.
Meanwhile, he would not miss out on another weekend until 2014, while the third came two years later in 2016.
It is an outstanding record, which speaks to the longevity Mickelson has had in the game. And when you consider his performances on LIV this year, it is quite surprising that he bowed out this time in such a disappointing manner.
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