Frustrated Mickelson heading home after Friday struggles

Even after a frustrating 77 on Friday, Phil Mickelson still refused to blame his troubles on his wrist. Whatever the reason, Mickelson will be merely a spectator for the tournament's final two rounds.

By Helen Ross, PGATOUR.com Chief of Correspondents

OAKMONT, Pa. -- This time it was a reporter, not a marketing campaign, that figuratively posed the question: "What will Phil do next?"

Phil Mickelson, who had just signed for a 77 in the second round of the U.S. Open, didn't miss a beat. He said he planned to go home, turn on TV and "watch the carnage."

At 11 over par through 36 holes, Mickelson knew his chance to play the weekend was in serious jeopardy. So would he be rooting for more bloodshed at Oakmont Country Club as the second round continued?

"I don't have to root for it," Mickelson said. "It's going to happen."

He was right -- and turns out, Mickelson was one of the casualties. When Angel Cabrera birdied his final hole as the shadows lengthened over western Pennsylvania on Friday evening, Mickelson and everyone else at 11 over and higher had the weekend off.

It was the first time Mickelson had missed the cut in a major championship in his last 30 starts.

Mickelson experienced Oakmont's wrath first-hand on Friday, negating a sterling start, where he played his first six holes in 2 under to briefly climb onto the leaderboard, with a meltdown on the next four.

The precipitous slide began when Mickelson doubled the seventh hole as he hit his second shot into a narrow hazard and had to take a drop. The wayward approach prompted him to grab the brim of his cap and slap it against his thigh in disgust.

He drove into a bunker at the eighth hole and putted a 60-footer off the green at No. 9 for two more bogeys, then made another double at the 10th hole. Mickelson would end up playing his final 12 holes in 9 over -- with a birdie at the 14th, no less -- but the bulk of the damage came as he made the turn.

"That stretch did me in," Mickelson admitted with a grimace. 

Only twice in 56 rounds as a pro had Mickelson shot higher at a U.S. Open -- an 81 in the second round in 1992 and a 79 in the fourth two years later. He has only missed the cut once in 16 previous Opens, in 1992, and his streak of 13 consecutive cuts made was the longest active one. 

Mickelson had seemed energized after shooting 74 in the opening round -- the first time he'd played 18 holes since injuring his left wrist, ironically in a practice round at Oakmont. The man who had finished second in four of the last eight Opens, including last year, was even talking about the possibility of getting into the hunt. 

No more. 

"I felt I had made a great move early in the round if I just kind of made just a couple bogeys and didn't do too much damage," he said, "but (Nos.) 7 through 10 did me in -- 6 over in those four holes. Take six shots out and I'm right there, at 5 over."

Mickelson refused to blame his 77 on the wrist, which he hurt chipping from the deep rough around the greens at Oakmont the weekend prior to the Memorial Tournament. He said it was sore, but nothing that he couldn't handle.

"It's holding up, so it's not getting too much worse so that's a good thing," he said.

Mickelson did say he might re-think his preparation for the majors. His custom has been to play comprehensive practice rounds that can last as long as 10 hours in the weeks leading up to the event. Oakmont was particularly penal that day.

"Absolutely, I'm going to have to change things," Mickelson said. "This really was dangerous doing what I did because the rough was twice as long and I thought that they may play it like that, and certainly with this liquid fertilizer and these new machines that make the grass suck straight up it absolutely is dangerous."