As the saying goes, close, but no cigar. That perfectly describes Phil Mickelson's failed attempted at history today after the Phoenix Open's first round where he finishes 11-under-par 60 and a four-shot lead.
Had the final birdie sunk in, the headline would have read "Mickelson Makes History at Phoenix Open," but similar to a lot of close basketball games, the ball rimmed around the lip of the hole and just did not drop.
It was a 25-foot put that Mickelson had measured perfectly. He traced the golf ball with his putter as it was well on its way to sinking in the hole. To his dismay and those around, Mickelson missed the shot and settled for the 60 at TPC Scottsdale. Mickelson missed history by centimeters as he would have became only the 6th player in the history of the PGA to finish a game without exceeding 60 strokes.
After the game, Mickelson, who has not been shy sharing his thoughts with the public, was truly disappointed after being so close. He simply doesn't get how the ball didn't fall.
Check out how Mickelson described it.
"Six feet to go, it was in the center," Mickelson said. "Three feet to go, it was in the center. A foot to go, it was in the center, and even as it's approaching the hole, I couldn't envision which side of the hole it could possibly miss on, and it ended up somehow just dying off at the end, catching the lip. At that speed, to lip out as much as it did is very rare."
He later added, "I'm excited to shoot 60, but to see that last putt lip out the way it did and not go in, it's crushing because you don't get that chance very often to shoot 59."
That is absolutely right. IT doesn't console him that he shot a 58 in practice, Mickelson wanted to do it at the tournament, one which he has had a lot of success in the past.
This is the second time he hits 11-under-par, tying the record at the Phoenix Open with Grant Waite and Mark Calcavecchia and last shot a 60 in 2005, but to him, 59 and 60 are a world apart.
"There's a big difference between 60 and 59. Not that big between 60 and 61, there really isn't. But there's a big barrier, a Berlin Wall barrier, between 59 and 60," said Mickelson after the first round was completed.
Trailing Mickelson in the competition by four strokes are Ryan Palmer, Brandt Snedeker, Padraig Harrington, Jeff Maggert and Ted Potter Jr.
Mickelson last made news outside of the golf course for complaining about the amount of taxes he'd have to pay as a resident of the state of California. For Mickelson, getting taxed over 40 percent of his salary was simply too much and he did not hesitate to speak his word despite later apologizing publicly.
The news was first introduced as Mickelson was thought to have considered retirement after finding out the state of California would be raising their taxes. However, after shooting a 60 and almost making history, looks like he'll continue competing and slash any thoughts of having to retire.
