Phil Mickelson outthinks himself of another U.S. Open

LA JOLLA, Calif. (June 12, 2008) - Phil Mickelson made sure he wouldn’t have to worry about another driver blunder like Winged Foot in the first round of his dream U.S. Open at Torrey Pines. But in his never-ending quest to prove he’s the smartest, most creative golfer in the world, he helped put himself in an Open hole he might not recover from.

Part of Mickelson’s decision to not have a driver in his bag at Torrey centers around his obsession with wedges. Mickelson’s been carrying as many as five wedges in his bag during some rounds this year and days before the Tiger Woods mano-a-mano showdown even began, he lamented how he’d have to take out at least one and maybe two. Apparently, that was too many for a short-game genius who often becomes his own worst enemy.

So here’s Phil at Torrey, hitting 3-wood off almost every par 4 and par 5, hiccupping out to 3-over in the first six holes - thanks in large part to many bad tee shots. The result’s so predictable that you have to wonder how someone as smart as Mickelson - and he’s definitely very intelligent - couldn’t see it. Hubris does Phil in - again.

Mickelson put so much pressure on himself in this U.S. Open, all but branding it Phil’s Holy Grail. “I’ve come close to winning this championship four times,” Mickelson said. “I’ve had four second places. This is a tournament I know and believe I can win.

“This golf course gives me the greatest opportunity to do that.”

Sometimes you want to just slap Mickelson on the side of the head. WorldGolf.com’s Brandon Tucker deserves some credit too for seeing what Mickelson had done to himself almost as soon as the comments came out.