The Curse of 3 and 13

Another U.S. Open in contention, another failure for old Phil. Mickelson is always the bridesmaid and never the bride when it comes to the Open, a prize that has eluded him by one position for the sixth time today. This seemed to be the one where he could excise those old ghosts of summer’s past, finally leading going into the final round (by a stroke), on father’s day (after he won father of the year for flying all the way back to San Diego for his  daughter’s graduation the night before the first round) and on his 43^rd birthday, to boot. Even after two double bogies on the front nine and a number of lipped out putts, he hit a magical holed eagle on the 11^th to take the lead by a stroke. By Mickelson often finds ways to lose and the 13^th is where it all began to unravel. The easiest hole on the golf course over the four days and the easiest in an Open in years is a simple par 3 at pitching wedge length with a few routes that draw the ball right toward the pin. Mickelson sized up the hole and then, after discussion with his long time caddy “Bones,” picked the wrong club, sending the ball over the green and making a birdie hole into a bogie hole. Two holes later, his shot landed a little short and rolled down the hill. Again he chose one of the five wedges in his bag and then chunked it a bit and sent it far past the hole – another bogie. Phil then had two reasonable birdie putts, but neither went in and, after sending his 18^th hole drive into the rough and his subsequent shot short, he needed a miracle chip hole-in to force a playoff. It never should have come down to this with at least 10 lipped out or over-the-hole putts failing to drop over the past three days. So the crowd favorite didn’t have the dream finish and Justin Rose, a 32-year old who is more famous for his Ryder Cup play than his disappointing failure to lodge a major until today, is the winner and Phil might just have missed his last great chance at the coveted prize.

Now to Tiger Woods, a mere four majors away from tying Jack Nicklaus for the most in history. But he has now gone five years without a single one and one begins to wonder if he will eclipse the record he has coveted since his teens. Woods troubles since that last Open win in 2008 is his burgeoning habit of disappearing in the third round. Sure he had a terrible final round as well today, but it is the third round where he has fallen out of contention in so many majors since the slump began. Starting with the 2012 Masters, Woods has not shot in the 60s on the weekend of a major Championship, a streak of 11 rounds. Last year, he led the Open after 36 holes, only to shoot a 75-73 weekend and fall to 21^st. And since a third round 66 at the 2010 Open, he is 14 over on Saturdays at majors. Many thought this is the tournament where he would break the slump. He has already won four times this year and, but for a two stroke penalty and unlucky ball that hit the flag stick and fell into the water, was close to winning the Masters. But Tiger collapsed in the tough conditions of an underrated Merion course that took almost all the best players in the world to task over four days. Will Tiger do it? For some reason I still think he will win at least the four majors necessary to tie Nicklaus, though I’m no longer certain he’ll break the record. He just needs to remind himself that he used to be the best closer in golf. Mickelson, so beloved as much for his many failures as his successes, will remain a crowd favorite, but I don’t see any more majors for the San Diego native, who will be kicking himself for the rest of his life – blowing six chances at his dream! Of course the $48 million he makes and year and private jet he’s flying around must be some consolation.