It’s just one more week before we get to the second major of the season — the US Open. The national Open of the United States of America is being played at Erin Hills in Wisconsin this year, which in itself adds the first element of intrigue to the tournament because it is a brand-new golf course which will not only be making its major debut, but also host its first ever championship.
I will save my thoughts on Erin Hills for next week, but there have been a couple of interesting developments with regards to the tournament, which has already caused some debate among the fans — the decision of Phil Mickelson not to play is probably the one that is most talked about.
Not only is Mickelson one of the top draws in the world, he is also one of the biggest storylines going into any US Open. He has always done well in the tournament, but fallen short of winning the one major that would complete his career grand slam. So, at age 46, for him to give up an opportunity to win, is a massive decision.
Mickelson celebrates his birthday during the US Open week, which means he will be 47 when he gets his next chance. And as any follower of the game would know, no player has won a major championship post 46 (that was when the legendary Jack Nicklaus captured the Masters in 1986).
The popular American has decided to skip the tournament so that he can attend the graduation ceremony of his daughter, who is also delivering the commencement speech at the function. Clearly, Mickelson has his family higher up in the priority list, and no one should be able to criticise that. I really am in awe of him for taking such a tough decision, knowing how much he loves to compete at the US Open, and how desperate he is to win the tournament after six runners-up finishes in the past.
Then there is my compatriot Anirban Lahiri, who is very close to qualifying for the tournament, but decided not to chase his spot and pulled out of the sectional qualifier earlier this week and is not playing at the FedEx St Jude Classic this week.
Lahiri’s call may not have created as much of a stir in the western media, but Indian fans have definitely been taken aback. The thing is, he is playing some phenomenal golf, and that is very much evident from his storming finish last week at The Memorial, where he shot a stupendous seven-under par 65 in the final round and surged up the leaderboard to finish tied second. That helped him climb to No. 65 in the world rankings, and if he can improve another five positions this week, he would have gotten into the field by virtue of being in the top-60.
Personally, I would have definitely played the qualifiers, but that is just my way of thinking. Having said that, I do completely understand Lahiri’s decision. If he played the qualifiers in Memphis and then made it to the US Open, it would have been his sixth successive week of competitive golf. There is a very good chance he would have been a spent force even if he made it to Erin Hills.
As Lahiri puts it, he is not “trying to chase tournaments”. Once you start doing that, there is no end to it. There is always something to play for in our sport, and he would be one tired man going after everything. It really is a courageous decision and he needs to be lauded for that. I have a feeling that he is going to come back after two weeks more motivated and hungry, as well as feeling refreshed.
(Jeev Milkha Singh is a four-time champion on the European Tour)
