Phil Mickelson’s wait to complete a clean sweep of major championships will go on for at least another year, after it emerged the 46-year-old has withdrawn from the upcoming US Open so that he can attend his daughter’s high school graduation. Given Mickelson’s reputation in the United States, this marks a serious blow to the event.
Mickelson, who has endured a series of near-misses at his home open, was scheduled to join the field at Erin Hills from Thursday week. However, speaking at the Memorial Tournament in Ohio – where he is playing this weekend – Mickelson said he will put family before professional goals.
Mickelson’s daughter Amanda will graduate on 15 June, the day of the US Open’s first round. “As I look back on life, this is a moment I’ll always cherish and be glad I was present,” Mickelson told the New York Times. “There’s no greater joy as a parent.”
Mickelson is believed to have already informed the United States Golf Association of his decision, out of respect for the number of final qualifying places they can make available on Monday. As one of the finest golfers in the history of the game, Mickelsonneeds only the US Open to become the sixth player in history to achieve a grand slam of majors.
Sceptics might sense an undertone either of Mickelson feeling he is unable to compete at what is a new host venue – Mickelson has not won at all since the Open Championship of 2013 – or holding a dim view of the USGA. Recent US Opens have been overshadowed by bad publicity, including the rules furore which provided a backdrop to Dustin Johnson’s success last year. When asked last month whether a successful US Open was necessary to improve the reputation of the USGA, Mickelson replied: “I don’t know if one thing right is going to fix that.”
