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SAINT-QUENTIN-EN-YVELINES, France – That was not supposed to end for Phil Mickelson. Not alone on the hill of an unusual French golf course, Samuel Ryder's trophy is gone, his golf ball and a piece of his reputation at the bottom of a troubled pond. In the moments that followed the loss of the Ryder Cup by Phil, he landed the 16th start at the National Golf, looking for someone to kiss. No American player or vice-captain followed him – they were scattered to keep other matches.
While the match against Francesco Molinari escaped in the back, Mickelson's wife, Amy, greeted him between each green and his tee to give him a high-5 and some encouraging words. But now she was in a crowd down the hill since the 16th tee and Phil was no one. This proud champion has been part of every team in the US Ryder Cup since 1994, a dominant force in the team room, if not on the golf course.
There were two thrilling victories, a decisive controversy and more than a few inexplicable losses. Mickelson has rarely brought his best golf to the Ryder Cup, but he has always been there in the middle of it all. It was shocking to see him now – his face reddened, his eyes watery, looking completely lost. Finally, he saw Amy and they kissed on the hill. "It's good, I'm fine," he said, squeezing it tightly.
European Captain Thomas Bjorn has suddenly materialized. He pulled Mickelson for a manly hug, then stepped back to look into his eyes. Bjorn patted him tenderly on the cheek but said nothing. It was the shared respect and empathy of two men who have been in the arena many times together. At present, American captain Jim Furyk put a hand on Mickelson's neck and pressured him into it. He whispered loudly in Phil's ear and Mickelson replied, "You did a great job this week. It was an honor to play for you.
Furyk's decision to use the captain's choice of 48-year-old Mickelson – who had not been in the top 10 since the beginning of May – is not why the United States has lost. Not in a Ryder Cup where Tiger Woods scored 0-4, Dustin Johnson 1-4, Brooks Koepka 1-2-1 and Patrick Reed 1-2. But the struggles of Mickelson will always be emblematic of the American team that went astray: his wild game Friday, the next session Saturday, the outcome without glory Sunday. When Phil's ball slipped into the water on the 16th, giving Molinari a 3 and 2 win and to Europe 14.5 points, Amy put her hand on his chest and said, "Oh, my God it hurts. "And not only for her.
Phil will always be polarized and this Ryder Cup will spark more chatter. Did he earn a spot on this team as a winning round of a Hall of Fame career? Assistant captain Zach Johnson hinted at such a thing in front of Paris, stating, "It's hard to imagine a Ryder Cup without him." But Mickelson had inexplicably misplaced his game in the prospect of the Cup and when he arrived in Paris he was looking for the panic button. "I spent more time hitting balls during the week than I was during the year trying to find something that would rattle, and it's just a struggle," he said on Sunday. evening.
Despite this, Furyk did not put him in a position to succeed on opening day, sending Mickelson to four, which amplified the hitting difficulties. After a spanking 5 and 4, Furyk has seen enough, sitting down for both sessions and admitting for the most part that he had made the wrong choice by choosing him. Phil spent the day smiling and cheering on his teammates. "He was fine, he really was," said Amy. "He understood, he wanted the team to succeed and once Jim decided it was the best way for Phil to participate fully."
Drawing Molinari in the ninth match in singles could be a good opportunity for Mickelson – no one really expects him to beat the automaton that made the ball and had a series of beautiful finishes at the National Golf at previous Open de France. Phil needed a quick start but took a boguey in the middle of the fairway to lose the first hole. Molinari made the birdie at number three to go up 2 and then at the 7th hole, Mickelson missed a 6-foot-3 pass.
The situation was beginning to be early but, despite all his difficulties, Phil is a man of immense pride. He fought back brilliantly by winning the ninth and eleventh holes to clear his way. But Molinari was relentless in fairways and greens to keep up the pressure on Mickelson. "This guy is a machine," said Gary McBride, mickelson's father-in-law, seated next to the 15th green.
Phil walking in it.#GoUSA pic.twitter.com/qMSK3dCOe1
– Ryder Cup USA (@RyderCupUSA) September 30, 2018
Once the morning gathering of Americans was blocked, there remained only one question of who would be on the wrong side of the celebration of victory. Mickelson was still 3rd against a 10-foot slider to win the 15th hole. When it sank because of the hole, Amy hit the person's arm so hard next to her that she apologized. On the 16th, a short par 3 downhill with water keeping the right side of the green, Molinari rifled a typically perfect shot in the middle of the green. Mickelson made a quick shot and knew that his ball was wet as soon as she left the club surface. He took off his hat and squeezed Molinari's hand, conceding the hole, the match and the Ryder Cup. Molinari had the grace of winning by saying, "Phil is a class act and he has beaten well in all games today. Obviously, he did not have his first game this week, but you know, he fought very hard. You hope to finish the Ryder Cup with a putt and a birdie. But this happens to us all and I'm sure [the final shot] you will not affect the other things that Phil has done during his career. He's an amazing player, and it's just a shot, so it does not change anything. "
It was perhaps the last chance of Phil Mickelson's Ryder Cup career.
But Mickelson felt the finality of the moment. After that, he conceded: "It could very well, realistically, be my last." He has seen everything since his 3-0 rookie victory in 1995: the epic return to Brookline, in which he dusted Jarmo Sandelin in singles; the disastrous twinnings with Tiger in 2004; the improbable kismet playing alongside Anthony Kim in the 2008 US victory; the three ugly losses that followed, leading to the mutiny of his press conference in 14; the working group, which he was one of the strongest voices; The performance that saved the reputation in 2016 led the United States to a cathartic victory. And now, abruptly, it's over. The gods of golf do not care about sentimentality.
Mickelson was still hanging out on the hill below the 16th start as hundreds of delirious spectators hid under the ropes and began to swarm all the players in the area. Phil grabbed Amy's hand and shouted, "Come on, we need to get out of here!" History will show that Mickelson was not a big Ryder Cupper; a career record of 18-22-7 is unworthy of a man who is ninth of all time with 43 wins on the PGA Tour. But he does not deserve to go out like he did. Rather than a grimace and a splash, a better final picture is that of Mickelson who crosses the crowds of European celebrities, absorbs the pats in the back and veins to the natural. In golf, you rarely get to choose your goals. If it was Phil's, note that he smiled all the way.
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