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Phil Mickelson, 54, returned to a PGA Tour event this week to compete in the second major of the season—the PGA Championship—after transitioning to the LIV Golf League in June 2022.
However, much like his performance at the Masters in April, the first 36 holes at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, North Carolina, proved to be unkind to the six-time major champion. After missing the cut at Augusta, Mickelson faced a similar fate at the PGA Championship.
He opened with a brutal 8-over round on Thursday, digging himself a hole too deep to escape. Though he improved on Friday with a 1-over round, one disastrous moment defined his tournament—and ultimately sealed his early exit.
On the par-4 12th hole, Mickelson landed in a greenside bunker. What followed was a shocking sequence: it took him four attempts to chip the ball out and onto the green. He eventually two-putted, carding a quadruple-bogey eight. The mishap quickly went viral, becoming one of the most talked-about moments of the tournament so far.
Check it out:
The video, originally posted by "NUCLR GOLF," surpassed 600,000 views in just five hours, sparking a wave of fan reactions:
"Does anyone know what was happening? Just cutting through underneath the ball?" A fan asked.
"I could not believe this. I have watched his bunker videos like 100’s of times," another fan posted.
Someone else added, "This was brutal to watch."
One more fan commented, "Wow! If this can happen to one of the greatest bunker players ever…I don’t feel so bad!"
Phil Mickelson lines up his putt on the ninth hole during the first round of the PGA Championship golf tournament at Quail Hollow.
© Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
For a casual golfer, struggling in a bunker like Mickelson did might not come as much of a shock. However, for a professional of his caliber, it’s quite alarming—especially considering Mickelson’s reputation as one of the greatest and most skilled bunker players in the history of the sport. He’s long been regarded as an ideal player to watch when it comes to hitting out of the sand.
Now, after back-to-back disappointing performances in the first two majors of the season on the PGA Tour, Mickelson will return to LIV Golf. He’ll likely get a few weeks off before the LIV Virginia tournament at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club, beginning on June 6.
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