Mickelson 'not going to worry about' poor PGA showing

 

PGA.COM August 11, 2013

.

View gallery

Phil Mickelson spent too much time on the beaten path to be a factor at the PGA Championship.(Edward …

By Stan Awtrey, PGA.com Contributor

ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Phil Mickelson completed a week that he would rather forget. He didn't go from first at the Open Championship to last at the PGA Championship, but he came closer than he would like.

Mickelson finished with a 72 on Sunday, leaving him at 12-over 292 for the week. It was his worst performance at the PGA since 2009, when he shot 12-over and finshed 73rd at Hazeltine.

"I didn't play well the last two weeks," Mickelson said. "I'm not going to worry about it. I'm going to go home and take a few weeks off, get my short game sharp and start back up in four or five days for the FedEx Cup. I'm not going to worry too much about it."

It likely cost him a chance to be the 2013 Player of the Year. At the very least it was a disappointing conclusion to a summer season that saw him with the Scottish Open and the Open Championship in consecutive weeks.

Mickelson was upbeat Sunday when he finished. He got cleaned up and headed for the front entrance of the Oak Hill clubhouse and signed autographs before getting his car and leaving for home.

The No. 2 ranked player in the world just missed by three shots playing by himself in the first group off the tee. Instead he was paired with Stephen Gallacher of Scotland, only the second time they had played together. Gallacher said Mickelson was good company and enjoyable to play with and the galleries were spirited as usual. But Gallacher admitted if he was going to play with Mickelson on the final day of a major, "I'd rather it be at the sharp end than the blunt end."

Mickelson's front nine was a disaster again. It included a triple bogey at No. 5 and a double bogey at No. 7 en route to a 39. He steadied things with two birdies on the back to close in 33.

The high numbers bothered Mickelson all week. He had four double bogeys and two triple bogeys over 72 holes. The 461-yard par-4 seventh hole was problematic all week; he played that hole in a cumulative six over par.

Accuracy off the tee derailed Mickelson at Oak Hill. He hit only 28 of 56 fairways.

Mickelson will take next week off. He plans to schedule a date with wife Amy. He'll return for the Barclays, the first event of the FedEx Cup playoffs, in two weeks.