* Mickelson pulls out of event after shooting a 79
* Says he needs to rest before next month’s U.S. Open
(Adds detail, further quotes)
By Mark Lamport-Stokes
DUBLIN, Ohio, May 31 (Reuters) – Phil Mickelson, with next
month’s U.S. Open very much in mind, withdrew from the Memorial
tournament due to fatigue after carding a seven-over-par 79 in
Thursday’s opening round.
The American world number 12 pulled out of the elite event
hosted by Jack Nicklaus at Muirfield Village Golf Club after
covering his back nine in six-over 42.
“I think mentally I’m a little bit fatigued,” Mickelson told
reporters. “The course here is in such great shape. It’s a
beautiful way to get ready for the U.S. Open.
“But I’m hitting it so poorly … I have to look at what’s
best for me to play in the U.S. Open, and I’m going to take the
next few days to kind of rest up.”
The U.S. Open, the second of the year’s four majors, will be
played from June 14-17 at San Francisco’s Olympic Club.
“Certainly I’m disappointed with how I played today, but
I’ve got to be more big picture oriented and think about the
(U.S.) Open and what’s best to get my best golf out there,”
Mickelson said. “I need the next few days to rest up a bit.”
Mickelson said his fatigue built up after he took his wife
Amy to Europe last week to celebrate her 40th birthday, having
previously played three consecutive events on the PGA Tour.
“We went to Italy and Paris,” the four-times major champion
added. “I came back and had a Tuesday outing in Long Island, the
pro-am. Mentally I’m a little bit fatigued.”
Mickelson played in a high-profile grouping on Thursday with
Masters champion Bubba Watson and fast-rising American talent
Rickie Fowler.
Hardly surprisingly, they attracted a huge gallery with
several fans repeatedly taking pictures of the players with
their cell phones, which are now permitted in specific areas at
PGA Tour events.
Asked whether such distractions had been a factor in his
poor form at Muirfield Village, Mickelson replied: “I think it
was more that mentally I wasn’t able to focus as well from the
last month more than anything.”
Mickelson, a 40-times champion on the PGA Tour, could not
recall a previous occasion when he had to withdraw from a
tournament without suffering an injury.
“It very well could be,” the American lefthander said. “I
feel like it’s the responsibility of a player to see through
your commitment (to play) and finish the tournament and so
forth.
“I’m kind of overruling that just a touch because I’m trying
to think big picture on what’s the best way for me to get ready
for the Open.”
(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes in Dublin, Ohio; Editing by
Frank Pingue and Nick Mulvenney)
