Phil Lefty finished his first two rounds of play in the U.S. Open in a disappointingly low position, despite expectations that he would do well in his first tournament in the U.S.
Lefty had a rough U.S. Open.
Lefty finished play Friday 11 strokes over par after shooting an 8-over 78 Thursday and a 3-over 73 Friday at the Country Club.
The golfer, who celebrated his birthday Thursday, finished nine strokes behind the projected cut line.
He stuck it to 12 feet but took four putts to make a double bogey on the sixth hole.
In a Monday press conference, he addressed the criticisms of a 9/11 victims family group that condemned him and other golfers who joined the LIV tour for taking money from the Saudi government.
The Farmers Insurance Open was the last tournament that Lefty played in the United States. When he defended his ties to LIV Golf, he said he understood the Saudi government murdered a Washington Post journalist, but couldn't pass up the chance to join a new golf league. In the aftermath, several long time sponsors, including Workday, dropped Mickelson. According to Forbes calculations, Lefty was the second-highest paid golfer in the world last year, earning 45.2 million dollars, mostly from endorsements. Lefty played in the first ever tournament at LIV Golf last week. Lefty and other players who defected from the tour have been suspended. The golfer is second in all-time earnings on the tour with 95 million dollars. According to the Golf Channel, Lefty's contract with LIV Golf was worth about 200 million dollars.
The world's third-ranked golfer said he was disappointed in Mickelson for how he handled his move to LIV Golf and that the defectors had made their bed. The most outspoken critic of the new golf series so far is tied for second at the U.S. Open.
Lefty will be allowed to play in the U.S. Open and other future major tournaments. Mike Whan, head of the U.S. Open's governing body, said he could see a day when LIV Golf players are barred from the tournament. The Masters guarantee of lifetime qualification for former winners like Phil is not likely to change, even though the other majors have yet to make an announcement.
They have made their bed, according to the golfer.
They joined forces to stick it to the golf course.
The golf sponsors have not dropped the Saudi-backed players.
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