Phil Mickelson heads to Shinnecock Hills this week looking to atone for a missed opportunity 14 years ago and complete the career Grand Slam.
It is the one that got away.
Phil Mickelson held the lead going to the 71st hole of the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Two months earlier he won his first Major Championship in dramatic fashion at the Masters, and was looking for his second-straight Major. It was then that fate intervened.
His tee shot on the par-three 17th found a greenside bunker. But what should have been a simple bunker shot turned out to be anything but, as he hit a rock directly behind the ball. Mickelson ended up with double-bogey and lost the tournament by two to Retief Goosen.
Mickelson returns to Shinnecock this week 14 years later still looking for that elusive U.S. Open title. He has been runner-up six times, often in devastating circumstances. In 1999 at Pinehurst he saw Payne Stewart hole a long putt to deny him the title. And in 2006 at Winged Foot, he double-bogeyed the 72nd hole to lose to Geoff Ogilvy by one. But it is 2004 he feels most like he let slip away.
“That is the one I should have won more than any other. Winged Foot, I played terrible all week,” he told Golf Digest’s Dave Shedloski. “But Shinnecock, I played phenomenal that last day. Given the difficulty of the course, I would say that I have not played better in a U.S. Open in my life.”
A win this week would make Mickelson only the sixth golfer to complete the career Grand Slam. He feels like he is up to the task, but isn’t looking too far ahead.
“I really love the challenge. And I love that I have another opportunity to try and complete the career Grand Slam,” he said at his press conference Monday. “My goal, though, is not to try to win on Thursday. My goal is just to stay in it Thursday, stay in it Friday, and have an opportunity for the weekend. So I’m not really thinking about winning right now.”
Mickelson has had success at Shinnecock before. In 1995 he finished tied for fourth behind winner Corey Pavin. If he hadn’t played the par-five 16th in six-over par that week, he might have won. Then there was 2004. Mickelson says the reason for his good finishes here is that Shinnecock fits his game perfectly.
“It’s the best setup, in my opinion, that we’ve seen. And the reason I say that is, all areas of your game are being tested. There are some birdie holes, there are some really hard pars. There’s some fairways that are easy to hit, fairways that are tough to hit. The chipping and short game around the greens are going to be a huge factor this week,” he said.
He will find a course that has been dramatically changed in the past 14 years, however. Shinnecock measures nearly 500 yards longer than in 2004, and the fairways are wider. The rough around the greens has also been shaved, creating more opportunities for the ball to roll off. Mickelson thinks these changes, with the emphasis on the short game, will only give him an advantage
“Short game is going to be a huge factor. If you do miss a green it will stay in fairway. It will stay where touch will be a factor. I love how that has been brought into it rather than the hack out of the rough, hope it comes out okay factor,” he says. The larger fairways will also benefit him, as he ranks 201st on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy.
Mickelson, at age 48, knows the opportunities for winning the U.S. Open are running out. If he wins this week he will be the oldest winner of the championship, surpassing Hale Irwin who won at 45 in 1990. Mickelson has done it all in his career. A U.S. Open title is the last goal remaining to accomplish, and it is something he relishes taking on.
Next: Complete List of U.S. Open Winners
“When I first came out I wanted to win any major. Any major would be great. And now that I’ve won the other three Majors, it’s U.S. Open-specific. I would love to win this one to win all four. That’s certainly a goal, and nothing I’m shying away from.”
In March, Mickelson won his first PGA event in nearly five years at the WGC-Mexico Championship. The added confidence he got from that win will only benefit him as he tries to get in contention at Shinnecock. He tees off with Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy at 8:02 a.m. ET on Thursday.
Fourteen years ago he let the trophy slip from his grasp. He is not prepared to let it happen again.