Phil Mickelson’s poor putting lands him 13 back at US Open
![Jun 13, 2014; Pinehurst, NC, USA; Phil Mickelson reacts on the fifth hole during the second round of the 2014 U.S. Open golf tournament at Pinehurst Resort Country Club - #2 Course. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports Jun 13, 2014; Pinehurst, NC, USA; Phil Mickelson reacts on the fifth hole during the second round of the 2014 U.S. Open golf tournament at Pinehurst Resort Country Club - #2 Course. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/7c535e152d68fdef8e3dcdad98407c3cffea3c18abd3feac29403a64a3aae3c3.jpg)
Phil Mickelson had hopes of winning his first ever US Open this week at Pinehurst, but some poor work on the greens has the left-hander sitting 13 strokes off the lead after Friday’s play.
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A dejected Mickelson, now tied for 33rd in the tournament, has all but given up on winning the Open after registering a 3-over-par 73 on Friday, saying via ESPN.com:
"“I feel like I’m playing well enough to win the U.S. Open, except for putting. It’s kind of the same story. After I’ve 3-putted three or four times, I kind of lose my focus on the other stuff. It affects my ability to concentrate and my momentum and energy.“It’s a frustrating time because I feel like the other parts of my game are there. I had such a great stretch last year putting. I feel like it’s in there. It doesn’t feel like the ball is coming off bad. I don’t feel like the stroke is bad, but I’m just not dialed in. I’m just not making them.”"
The struggling Mickelson 4-putted on three different holes, and took 34 total putts for the round.
“I made the putt on 2 and 3 and I hit a really good putt on 5 that didn’t go and I thought I was going to have a good day,” Mickelson said. “The three-putt on 6 shoot me a little bit. Then 8. After that I was really fighting it.”
A victory at Pinehurst would make Mickelson just the sixth player to win a career Grand Slam – victories in all four major championships – but Mickelson wasn’t optimistic about his chances of pulling it off.
“I’m not overly optimistic,” Mickelson said. “Obviously I’m not in good position. You can’t fire at a lot of the pins. You’ve got to make 25-, 30-footers and I’m just not doing it. I’m not going to give up, you never know.”