Mickelson's Winged Foot meltdown: a major choke?
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Phil Mickelson's dramatic collapse at the U.S. Open sparked wide debate over whether he choked in his bid for a third consecutive major title or simply made a mental error.
Two strokes clear with three holes to play at Winged Foot, the American left-hander paid a heavy price for his wayward driving throughout the final round.
Mickelson found only two fairways out of 14 on the day and pushed his tee shot at the last well left on to the roof of a hospitality tent. He then struck a tree with his second shot before running up a double-bogey six.
His nightmare finish left him one stroke short of forcing a playoff for his first U.S. Open title and in a three-way tie for second place behind the triumphant Australian Geoff Ogilvy.
A proven campaigner in the heat of major battle since making his breakthrough with victory at the 2004 Masters, Mickelson drew comparisons after his Winged Foot meltdown with Jean Van de Velde and Greg Norman.
Frenchman Van de Velde led the 1999 British Open by three strokes with one hole to play before carding a triple-bogey seven and Norman blew a six-shot lead going into the final round of the 1996 Masters.
Van de Velde, at least, squeezed into a three-way playoff at Carnoustie before losing out to Britain's Paul Lawrie.
Depending on who you listen to, Mickelson either choked big time at Winged Foot or simply paid the price for a bold strategy.
NO BONES
NBC analyst Johnny Miller, twice a major winner, made no bones about Mickelson's club selection on the 18th tee where he took out a driver instead of a four-wood.
"That's an horrendous shot and an even worse club selection," Miller said.
After Mickelson failed to curve his ball around a tree with his second shot in an attempt to reach the green, Miller added: "You couldn't have worse decisions than he's had on this hole.
"You don't have to ride down the stretch on a white stallion. You can limp in. This is one of the worst collapses in U.S. Open history."
Arnold Palmer, however, could identify with Mickelson's aggressive game plan on the 72nd hole.
"Knowing me, I'd get a saw and cut the tree down," said the seven-times major champion, who was known for his swashbuckling approach to the game.
"It's not likely I would have laid up (short of the green for the second shot). I've never done that in my life.
"I've been in the same position as Phil was and screwed up as bad as he did," Palmer added, referring to the 1961 Masters when he led by one playing the last before gifting the title to Gary Player with a double-bogey.
"Phil is strong and he's young. He'll come back very quickly, and he'll win. He might win sooner than you think."
SURPRISINGLY SPECTACULAR
What made Mickelson's Winged Foot demise so surprisingly spectacular was that he has made a habit of preparing better for the majors than anyone else in the game over the last two years.
He made a dozen visits to the par-70 West Course in his U.S. Open build-up and knew the best spots to land his ball from tee to fairway to green.
Ice-cool strategy and calm execution under pressure marked out his three victories in nine major starts and most people watching the final round at Winged Foot on June 18 confidently expected Mickelson to land another one.
Was it a major choke? Mickelson's last-day collapse at Winged Foot was technical rather than mental, according to his swing coach Rick Smith.
"It wasn't the swing that he made to win the Masters, or the
"The old swing came back a bit. It was technical, not mental.
"Every player will always fall back into the old," Smith told the Los Angeles Times newspaper.
"It's not a choke. He was struggling with his driving all day. If you're striping it every single time and then you hit it 50 yards off-line, that's a choke.
"He will come back, and he will come back with a vengeance."
