“Phil Mickelson at Oak Hill Country Club: The Player Who Knows It Best”

Twice winner of the PGA Championship (2005 and 2021), Phil Mickelson, 53 years old on June 16, is certainly the player who knows the Oak Hill Country Club best, host of this 105th edition. And this even if this week’s course no longer really resembles the one he discovered almost thirty years ago…

With two cards of 73 (+3) and 72 (+2), Phil Mickelson should be present this weekend in Rochester (New York). It was here that the general public really discovered him in 1995 during the Ryder Cup won on the wire (14.5 to 13.5) by the… Europeans led by the Scottish captain, Bernard Gallacher.

Lefty was then 25 years old and playing his first Ryder Cup there. He had done honor to Team USA by winning his three matches, two in doubles with his teammates Corey Pavin et Jay Haasand a singles, against the Swede Per-Ulrik Johanssonhis former partner at Arizona State.

A good and true test, hard but fair

The Californian was also there in 2003 and then in 2013 when the PGA Championship stopped at Oak Hill, a ” good and true test, hard but fair as he pointed out again today. Twenty years ago, he finished in the top 25 (23rd). In 2013, he was content with a very anecdotal 72nd place finish.

« I arrived here very optimistic this weekhe said after his second round on Friday. Still, I didn’t play very well the first two days. I drove wrong. I did not feel comfortable with the putter. I didn’t chip very well. My irons game has been average. This still makes me optimistic for the future because I still managed to make the cut by playing badly. So, if I play better this weekend, it can evolve in the right direction. »

Remember that the American, past on the LIFE Golf last year, has just finished joint second in the Masters (with another LIV Golf member, Brooks Koepka) notably slamming a huge 65 (-7) on Sunday.

Photo : Darren Carroll/PGA of America