Mickelson's poor decision shocking

He had nobody to blame for losing the tournament, but himself.
MAMARONECK, N.Y. (AP) -- Phil Mickelson isn't the only major champion to blow the U.S. Open. He can only hope he doesn't end up like the others.
Sam Snead thought he needed a birdie on the par-5 18th hole at Philadelphia Country Club in 1939, then butchered the hole so badly that he wound up with a triple-bogey 8 and finished two shots out of the playoff.
He never won a U.S. Open, the only major keeping him from the career Grand Slam.
Ben Hogan was locked in a duel of generations with Arnold Palmer and 20-year-old amateur Jack Nicklaus at Cherry Hills in 1960. He felt he needed a birdie on the par-5 17th, and his wedge spun off the green and into a creek. Hogan never won another U.S. Open.
Palmer had a seven-shot lead on Billy Casper at Olympic Club in 1966 and went after the U.S. Open scoring record. His bold play led to an unthinkable collapse. Casper shot 32 on the back nine for a tie, then beat Palmer the next day in an 18-hole playoff.
Palmer never won another U.S. Open.
"As a kid, I dreamt of winning this tournament," Mickelson said late Sunday afternoon, still in shock over a double bogey that cost him his best chance at the U.S. Open. "I came out here and worked hard all four days, haven't made a bogey [on No. 18] all week. Even a bogey would have gotten me into a playoff. I just can't believe I did that."
Neither could anyone else.
He had it won
Even with his less-than-best golf, Mickelson seemingly had both hands on the trophy. Despite failing to hit a single fairway on the back nine at Winged Foot, he had a one-shot lead when he got to the 18th tee.
"It's a 72-hole tournament, not 71," said Kenneth Ferrie, who played with Mickelson in the final pairing. "Through 17 holes, he had played good enough to win."
But the 18th hole is what will stick with Mickelson until Father's Day next year.
First came a wild drive that rattled through the trees left of the fairway, leaving him a decent lie on trampled grass. A large tree blocked his path to the green, but Mickelson thought he had a way out. Carve a 3-iron around the tree, and if his ball doesn't hit the green, it should be close enough for him to get up and down for par and capture the U.S. Open.
"I had a good lie," he explained. "I had to hit a big, carving slice around the tree and I overcut it. I ended up hitting the tree."
The next shot wasn't much better, a towering iron that sailed left of the green and came down with such velocity that it plugged in the bunker. Considering the slope of the green ran away from him, only a miracle could spare Mickelson.
What he got was a double bogey, handing Geoff Ogilvy the title.
"I am such an idiot," Mickelson said.
Good thing Mickelson already has three majors, or this could have been really ugly. That's one reason Palmer never took a beating for making double bogey from the bunker on the 18th hole at the Masters to lose by one shot to Gary Player in 1961.
Raises questions
But this collapse will raise more questions about Lefty's decisions.
His belief in his ability to pull off any shot at times invites more trouble than he needs.
"I was playing for par," he said. "If I would make par, I'd win the tournament. I just thought, 'I can slice this.' I thought I'd just put a 3-iron on the green -- or if not on it, around it -- and get up-and-down."
Give him another 10 cracks at that shot, and he probably pulls it off nine times.
But he also brought a big number into the equation, one that he couldn't afford. Mickelson pulled off a far more difficult shot on the 17th hole when he cut a 5-iron around the trees and onto the 17th green.
All he lacked 20 minutes later was the execution.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.