Phil Mickelson’s short game deserted him during the second round of the PGA Championship, after the LIV Golf man took four shots to get out of a green-side bunker.
Joshua Lees Senior Golf Writer
21:52 ET, 16 May 2025
Phil Mickelson had a rough time in the bunker at the PGA Championship(Image: Kevin C. Cox, Getty Images)
Phil Mickelson’s short game seemed to abandon him during the second round of the PGA Championship, as it took the LIV Golf player four attempts to escape a green-side bunker.
Mickelson, eager to recover from a disastrous start to the tournament on Thursday, appeared to be back in form throughout the second round. The HyFlyers captain, who made history as the oldest major champion ever at the 2021 PGA, had a promising start to the second round.
He played his first nine holes at Quail Hollow two-under-par on Day 2, making the turn after scoring three consecutive birdies between the seventh and ninth holes. After a par at the 10th, another birdie followed at the 11th, with the LIV man making an unexpected push to make the cut.
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However, things quickly went south for Mickelson when he reached the 12th hole, where he struggled uncharacteristically on and around the green.
After landing in the bunker to the left of the putting surface, what happened next left spectators in disbelief. Despite being considered one of the best wedge players of all time, Mickelson took three unsuccessful swings out of the sand before finally escaping with a fourth shot.
Finally, with putter in hand, Mickelson two-putted before leaving the nightmare hole with a quadruple bogey eight. However, true to Mickelson’s style, the disaster at the 12th didn’t seem to rattle him, even though it likely cost him his spot over the weekend.
Mickelson swiftly recovered from the setback, securing a birdie on the next hole with an impressive 211-yard approach shot on the long par three. He maintained his momentum by scoring another birdie on the 14th hole, which somewhat mitigated the impact of the earlier mishap.
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This brought his score to seven-over for the tournament and one-under for the day, but he soon dropped back to even, registering a bogey five on the 16th hole. He concluded his second round with a par and a final bogey, ending his participation in the tournament.
Despite his valiant effort on the second day, the damage had primarily been done on the first day. Consequently, the LIV golfer failed to make the cut in a major championship for the second consecutive time, following his early exit at the Masters the previous month.
The outcome may have been unexpected for Mickelson, given his confidence about his game ahead of the major season. Prior to the Masters, he had achieved his highest LIV finish with a third-place result in Hong Kong, stating: “I’m playing some good golf, and this is a building week as I continue to build into LIV and my goal of accomplishing a win in LIV as well as winning another major, getting ready for Augusta.”
Just a week before the first major, after another top-10 finish at LIV Miami, Mickelson reiterated his confidence, saying: “I’m playing really well. I’m playing good golf. I’m driving it well.
“I’m hitting good iron shots, putting it well. I’m looking forward to competing at Augusta, a course I know very well, and feel like I have the game now and am hitting the shots to compete.”
