Before heading to the Masters, Phil Mickelson had one thing in mind. Winning! “My goal is to win a LIV event. My goal to win another major, um, I can feel is within reach,” Lefty had stated. The reason he was so confident was that he was taking a better mental approach to his game. His approach, coming to Augusta, was simple. “How you deal with adversity, how you deal with bad shots, how you deal with mistakes or unlucky breaks and how you come back from that and how you fight through it, that’s how you win majors,” he had mentioned in Miami. But come Friday evening, that dream was shattered.
Mickelson missed the cut at the Masters after a disappointing first round followed by a below-average second. He finished the tournament 5 under par, missing the cut line by 3 strokes. While he was not the only big name missing the cut, it will definitely sting for the HyFlyers GC captain. Speaking to the press after what was a tough round, Mickelson was candid.
The Augusta is a dream for any golfer to play, and the Lefty had his more enjoyable times there as well, winning the tournament in 2004, 2006, and 2010. “I had a lot of fun. I wish I had played better. I thought it was great. I thought that it was challenging with the wind today, but the greens were more receptive. I think they put some water on it knowing that. I thought it was playing, fun, great challenge, hard. It’s the Masters; I love everything about it,” he said.
This is Mickelson’s 32nd appearance at Augusta. He has a stellar track record at the course and the tournament, having finished in the top 10 of the leaderboard 16 times in his Masters career. He has also only missed the cut at Augusta three times before this year, the last instance coming in 2016. So, it is a difficult pill for the veteran golfer to swallow, especially considering he had high expectations coming into this year.
“I really thought I was going to play well and get right in it. I can’t remember — I haven’t missed very many cuts here, and I’m surprised that I missed one this year because I was playing really well heading in.” the 45-time PGA Tour winner added. Mickelson really thought he’d play better. With the help of his wife and a clothing manufacturer, he had designed outfits for the entire week.
Go watch Phil Mickelson’s par on 11.
It’s insane.
— Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1) April 11, 2025
It is a missed opportunity undoubtedly for the golfer who would feel hard done after regaining his form. Now he has the chance to push for a victory at remaining season.
Retirement is not a possibility anymore for Phil Mickelson
Back in 2023, Mickelson had acknowledged that he was heading towards the tail end of his stellar career. “I’m 53 now, and my career, you know, it’s— if I’m being truthful, it’s on—it’s—I’m a—it’s towards its end,” Mickelson had stated. It was surprising considering he was just two years removed from his sixth major title at the PGA Championship.
And even this year, he seems to be going strong. Despite not having won an LIV event so far, Mickelson has been pretty tidy, finishing in the top 6 in two of the four events so far. This includes a third-place finish at LIV Golf Hong Kong. There is still fire in those swings from the left-handed golfer. One setback at the Masters will not be enough to push Mickelson’s bid to end on a high.
With more crucial majors coming up, Mickelson will look to bounce back. Here is your adversity, Mickelson. Deal with it and show the world how it is done!
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