Phil Mickelson

Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon speaks out on Phil Mickelson and the Saudi-back LIV Golf's planned event in his home state.

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And Thursday's first round of the U.S. Open at The Country Club was Mickelson's first major championship start since the 2021 Open (he shot an 80 in the opening ...

Without getting into too much detail, he’s somewhat become the poster child for the Saudi-backed, Greg Norman-led, breakaway league. Despite his decision to move on to the LIV Golf Series, fans still love the thumbs-up-giving Mickelson. Just look at the size of the gallery following the 52-year-old, even after he played his first 11 holes 5 over. He said a lot, and at the same time, said nothing at his Monday press conference earlier this week regarding his move to LIV, and many began to wonder what his reception was going to look (and sound) like from the fans. On the par-4 12th, just before his fifth shot that nearly went in the hole, we asked one more fan what he thought. And Thursday’s first round of the U.S. Open at The Country Club was Mickelson’s first major championship start since the 2021 Open (he shot an 80 in the opening round and missed the cut).

After an opening 78, Lefty finds his name ahead of only a handful on the leaderboard.

A saucy wedge on the par-3 11th led to his lone birdie of the day, and it was followed up with a double bogey on the par-4 12th in which Mickelson almost holed out from the middle of the fairway to save bogey. He now finds his name in a tie for 146th and ahead of only six other competitors in Brookline, Massachusetts. Instead, disaster struck for Mickelson as he ultimately four-putted for double bogey.

Phil Mickelson did not look ready to compete at all amid his controversial move to LIV Golf.

Follow the Twilight 9 Podcast: Apple Podcasts Mickelson saw his time at the PGA Tour end when he signed a reported $200 million deal with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf — a move he made despite acknowledging Saudi Arabia’s many human rights atrocities. In what can only be described as a shambolic putting display, Mickelson had 14 putts through six holes.

Here's everything you need to know on how to watch Phil Mickelson tee it up at the 2022 U.S. Open.

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Phil Mickelson struggled in the first round of the U.S. Open, carding an 8-over 78. He's tied for 144th place.

Mickelson was playing in the U.S. Open after being indefinitely suspended by PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan a week ago. Mickelson has been runner-up at the U.S. Open a record six times. "I really enjoyed the test; I think it's just a spectacular golf course," Mickelson told reporters in the players' parking lot after the round. But then Mickelson yanked his tee shot into the thick rough on the right side on No. 12, needed two shots to get back to the fairway and carded a double-bogey 6 to drop to 7 over. Mickelson was one of 17 tour players who competed in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational Series event in London without a conflicting-event release. Playing for the first time in the U.S. since missing the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open in late January, Mickelson had bogeys on three of the first five holes and then four-putted from 12 feet for a double bogey on the par-3 sixth.

The sport is changing fast, and no one can yet say what pro golf will look like next year at this time.

This is more than an existential threat to the way professional golf is staged and the way professional golfers make their schedules and their livings. LIV Golf will go away if and only if the Saudis decide to turn off the spigot. I’ve always been interested in history and legacy, and right now the PGA Tour has that.” What McIlroy and some other prominent young stars — Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth — are doing in voicing their preference for the PGA Tour is admirable not because the tour deserves blind loyalty but because they’re not selling out to take money from a regime with an abhorrent record on human rights. LIV Golf will go away not because the PGA Tour somehow triumphs by banishing talent that departed and keeping the rest in the fold. “We did sit down and have a long conversation about a week before the U.S. Open [and asked], ‘Did where somebody else played and what promoter they played it with disqualify them for this event?’ ” USGA CEO Mike Whan said this week. The 1980s, when the USFL tried to lure NFL talent — Herschel Walker and Steve Young come to mind — for a summer season? What’s happening here — not on the course but in the discourse — is unprecedented in modern golf. The dig referred to his penchant for wagering the money he has earned on athletic contests, not his newfound source of wealth. He is also decidedly unlikely for the weekend. Still, there’s no overstating the cloud that hangs over not just the 122nd version of the national championship but the sport as a whole. He was beginning what would be an arduous 5½-hour round to open the only major he has never won.

Phil Mickelson would qualify as controversial in every conceivable way, even before he took on the PGA Tour and defected to the Saudi-backed LIV Golf series.

Then, he'll get a week off before heading to Pumpkin Ridge in Portland for the first U.S.-based LIV event at the end of the month. Curry's articulate thoughts on the Phil-to-LIV matter were quite the juxaposition with the next catcaller, who was positioned in one of the hospitality tents off 14 fairway and was clearly overserved. "The tour that was so incredibly good to him for 20-plus years, and he's completely tainted his legacy. His final score of eight-over 78 has him positioned in a tie for 144th, 12 shots off the lead of Adam Hadwin and just five shots shy of dead last. The tour would have taken care of him if he was really in that dire need." Phil's the one who is trying to take down the PGA Tour." "I thought he'd get booed out of the place, to be honest with you." Then, somewhat stunningly, came a real, live "boooo" in Mickelson's direction as he strolled to the par-3 sixth tee. Then again, this was the man's 52nd birthday, and this is the U.S. Open, which has caused him the most pain over the course of his three-decade career. Once they quieted, boo-er No. 2 let Mickelson know he was "dead to him." For the last 20 years and then some, he has been among the most beloved players in the sport. His Kiawah like pre-shot process was yielding Centurion-like results, but the Bostonians still opted for a positive-vibes-only approach.

Phil Mickelson faces missing the cut at the US Open after enduring a torrid first round, with Adam Hadwin impressing as the surprise early leader at The ...

Pursuing his first major triumph in eight years, McIlroy looked fired up throughout, with a frustrated club throw on the final hole adding to his reaction four holes prior. A scintillating front nine saw Tarren sink three birdies and an eagle at the eighth hole. He arrived at the first tee to cheers from a large crowd gathered to watch. "I'm kind of pinching myself," Tarren told reporters. Playing on his 52nd birthday, Mickelson struggled to an eight-over 78, with only seven players of the 156-man field carding a lower score. Mickelson -- one of 17 players suspended by the PGA Tour

On Thursday, a large gallery followed Phil Mickelson. They cheered him and jeered. They were not there, though, to see him play the game well.

Less than a minute later, one of them said, not loud enough for Mickelson to hear: "Why'd you have to, man? "I'll get in the groove ... I'm looking forward to having another chance at the golf course." Another called out to Mickelson before his tee shot on the 13th hole and asked him when gear for the Hi-Flyers (Mickelson's LIV squad) would be available. Fans in attendance at The Country Club on Tuesday wanted to get a glimpse of Phil Mickelson while he warmed up for his practice round -- his return to a stateside course after a four-month hiatus. Once strokes started counting on Thursday, Mickelson still played to the crowd, but it was hard to do it with the same attitude. "I really enjoyed the test; I think it's just a spectacular golf course," Mickelson said after his round to a few media in the player parking lot before referencing his 33rd-place finish at LIV's 48-man London event.

On Thursday at U.S. Open, many golf fans didn't seem to care much about Phil Mickelson filling his bank account at LIV Golf.

"It's blood money," one fan said just before the gallery erupted. I would've done the same thing," one fan was overheard saying at the range. We followed Phil Mickelson Thursday at the US Open and just listened. The reaction? Without getting into too much detail, he's somewhat become the poster child for the Saudi-backed, Greg Norman-led, breakaway league. "Who cares?

Mickelson saw his time at the PGA Tour end when he signed a reported $200 million deal to play the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series — a move he made ...

Through nine holes, Mickelson was 5-over par and looking like a shell of himself. In what can only be described as a shambolic putting display, Mickelson had 14 putts through six holes. Mickelson saw his time at the PGA Tour end when he signed a reported $200 million deal to play the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Invitational Series — a move he made despite acknowledging Saudi Arabia’s many human rights atrocities.

As witnessed on Thursday at The Country Club, Phil Mickelson is the face of professional golf's current unraveling, and yet, in his competitive twilight, ...

This was Mickelson’s first U.S. tournament since January, and on Monday, in the leadoff interview slot, he received a barrage of pointed questions about his deeper motivations and his battered image. Indeed, with the final groups wrapping up, Mickelson tapped in to polite, sympathetic applause from the 18th-hole grandstand that, by 7 p.m., was only a quarter full. He went out in 40, encountered a wild turkey while looking for his errant drive on the 12th hole and generally looked like a 52-year-old in golf’s toughest test. That stunning victory should have been celebrated as the last gasp of a proud champion. So good for so long, he should have victory-lapped last month around Southern Hills, soaking in the adulation as the unlikely defending champ. Even as the miscues added up, he never wavered from his uncomfortably long pre-shot routine. Over the past few years he has battled lapses of concentration, so now he stands behind the ball for five, 10, 15 seconds, left hand near his hip, trying to calm his racing mind, channel his focus and visualize his shot. “I really enjoyed the test,” Mickelson said in a brief interview in the player parking lot, but it was difficult to believe him. Spectators pay to be entertained, preferably by guys they know, and few in the game’s long history have been as popular as Mickelson. The few jeers landed with a thud. This was not a surprise, of course. Athletes have endured all sorts of sordid scandals and still been reintegrated into public life as beloved as ever.

It's difficult to imagine anyone handling the past few months worse than Phil Mickelson has … and that includes his performance on the golf course.

In what can only be described as a shambolic putting display, Mickelson had 14 putts through six holes. Mickelson saw his time at the PGA Tour end when he signed a reported $200 million deal with the Saudi-backed LIV Golf — a move he made despite acknowledging Saudi Arabia’s many human rights atrocities. Phil Mickelson had a complete meltdown putting during the first round of the 2022 US Open

All it took was about two cringeworthy minutes and four putts from 12 feet to bring the golf world back to this: No matter where he plays, or how much money ...

Mickelson is only 13 months removed from a remarkable late-career surge — the PGA Championship he won last year at Kiawah Island at a record age of 50. When he mercifully tapped in for his double-bogey 5, he was 5 over with the meat of the golf course still ahead. It was right out of a Boston fan's playbook. This marked the sixth straight time he's failed to break par in the opening round of the U.S. Open. The quiet buzz spilling out of the grandstand and luxury suites grew louder as Happy Hour approached. Earlier, Mickelson had missed par saves from 7 feet on No. 1 and 8 feet on No. 3. And the next. Asked his brother and caddie, Tim, to take a look at the comebacker. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. He stopped and stared. He turned 52 on Thursday. He shot 8-over 78.