Phil Mickelson was brutally mocked by fans during a nightmare practice session ahead of this weekend’s US Open. It is taking place at Oakmont Country Club, a notoriously difficult venue with its five-inch roughs and lightning-fast greens. The course is capable of pushing even the very best golfers to their limits and should make for excellent viewing.
Mickelson is a six-time major champion but has never won the US Open despite making 33 appearances at the tournament. He has finished in second place on six occasions, most recently in 2013. It seems the 54-year-old might have to keep waiting to break his duck after enduring a tough time in practice on Wednesday.
A short video doing the rounds on social media shows Mickelson struggling to chip the ball out of the rough near one of the greens. He is seen taking a number of shots, with the ball only moving a few inches before settling back into the long grass.
One fan in the background is heard laughing at Mickelson as he continues to struggle before another man joins in. The man from San Diego will be desperate to avoid a repeat when the US Open begins for real on Thursday.
It comes after Rory McIlroy described the conditions at Oakmont as ‘nearly impossible’ after going on a scouting mission at the course last week.
He added: “If you put it in the fairway, it’s certainly playable, but then you just have to think about leaving your ball below the hole and just trying to make as many pars as you can.
“You get yourself in the way of a few birdies, that’s a bonus. I’m glad we have spotters out there because last Monday you hit a ball off the fairway and you were looking for a good couple of minutes just to find it. It’s very penal if you miss.
“Sometimes it’s penal if you don’t miss. The person with the most patience and the best attitude this week is the one that’s going to win.”
Jhonattan Vegas, who came close to winning the PGA Championship last month, said the Oakmont rough was ‘unplayable’ in a social media post earlier this week.
On X (formerly Twitter), he shared a video of the greenkeeping team cutting the long grass alongside the caption: “Good news guys, they are cutting the rough but it’s still unplayable. Have fun.”
