Phil Mickelson was a millimetre away from making golfing history at The Open

Mickelson was so close to a 62

A lip-out is painful at any moment, but few can match the one Phil Mickelson experienced on the 18th at Royal Troon during round one of The Open. 

Starting the hole at eight-under-par, Mickelson needed a birdie to shoot 62 and set a new record for the lowest score in a major championship. He couldn’t have come any closer…

“It started on my line and it was right in the center hole with a foot to go,” said Mickelson. “It went to the right a little harder. I see these highlights and yet I feel like crying. I don’t know what to say. I don’t know how that ball missed because it was perfect speed in the center with a foot to go.”

Mickelson’s 63 was just the 27th in major history. There have been 80 Masters, 116 U.S. Opens, 144 Open Championships and 97 PGA Championships, and 63 has only been shot 27 times. Many people feel that a 63 in a major is a far greater achievement than a 59 in a ‘normal’ tournament.