Phil Mickelson slammed the trunk on his 2019-2020 season Friday after falling short of the projected cutline in the Northern Trust at TPC Boston.
Well, he slammed the trunk on his PGA Tour season.
After Mickelson shot a 3-under-par 68 in the second round to go with his opening 74, he was at even par and two shots out of the cutline. He also was in 78th in the projected FedEx Cup standings.
There was little chance of either of those positions improving, which means Mickelson won’t be one of the top 70 who move on in the playoffs to next week’s BMW Championship at Olympia Fields in Illinois. It will be the first time Mickelson hasn’t qualified for the BMW Championship since the FedEx Cup Playoffs began in 2007.
Instead, with his eye on next month’s U.S. Open at Winged Foot in New York, Mickelson will head to Missouri to make his PGA Tour Champions debut in the Charles Schwab Series at Ozarks National.
“I’m going to play the Champions event this Monday. I’ve been playing well and I want to play. I wish I was playing in Chicago next week but excited to play my first Champions event,” tweeted Mickelson, who turned 50 in June.
I’m going to play the Champions event this Monday. I’ve been playing well and I want to play. I wish I was playing in Chicago next week but excited to play my first Champions event.
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 21, 2020
It will allow Mickelson to stay sharp for the U.S. Open.
“Coming into this week, I had been playing really well at home. I was excited to play. I want to really want to play golf. That will give me a chance to play three competitive rounds,” Mickelson said after the round at TPC Boston.
Leaderboard | Best photos | Round 2 tee times, TV info
As for his PGA Tour season, Mickelson made 16 starts and had just two top-10 finishes – a third place in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and a tie for second in the World Golf Championships-FedEx St. Jude Invitational (he also tied for third in the Saudi International on the European Tour).
The five-time major champion missed six cuts.
“I don’t know what to say about the season. It’s been very up and down,” Mickelson said. “I had a lot of missed cuts, which is unusual. And I’ve had a couple of seconds and thirds but I haven’t won. I’m disappointed I’m not in the BMW (Championship). I feel like I’ve been playing well and yesterday was just really a poor start to the tournament.
“I would have liked to have continued in the playoffs. But now that I’m out, I’d like to take these two weeks to get my game ready for the U.S. Open.”
That preparation will included a start in the Safeway Open in Napa, California, Sept. 10-13. That’s the official start of the 2020-2021 season.
“Napa is a good place to get ready,” for the U.S. Open, Mickelson said. “The fairways are tight there, even though the rough isn’t too bad. And the greens are the same grass. So it will be a good place to get ready for Winged Foot.”
In 2006 at Winged Foot, Mickelson led the U.S. Open by one shot when he reached the 72nd hole. But he made double-bogey six to lose by one shot. Mickelson has a record six silver medals in the U.S. Open.
“I know the golf course reasonably well. You have to drive the ball well and I’ve been working on that. Unfortunately I didn’t drive it well here,” Mickelson said. “I’ll go see Winged Foot in the next couple of weeks and try to get my game ready.
“Having the two majors coming up now, with the U.S. Open and the Masters (in November), it keeps the motivation high to keep your game sharp and ready.”
[lawrence-related id=778062330,778062333,778062279]