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British Open 2019: Tiger and Phil just accomplished a combined major-championship first that they wish they hadn't
Harry How
PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson have each accomplished innumerable achievements over the course of their legendary careers. The duo have won 20 majors between them in 193 starts.
However …
Their play at the 148th Open Championship at Royal Portrush Golf Club will go down as far less memorable, after Woods finished his week at six over par following a one-under 70 on Friday to miss the cut. Mickelson, meanwhile, followed up an opening 76 with a 74 to finish at eight over for 36 holes and giving him the weekend off as well.
Combined, then, they managed to do something they remarkably never done before: Friday marks the first time that both players missed the cut in the same major championship.
It’s a pretty remarkable statistic given the overlap of their careers. Eighty-two previous times they had played in the same major, and every time at least one of them made it to the weekend. In all, Mickelson will have missed 16 cuts in majors (including this week), and Woods 10, seven of which have come since 2014, including two this year.
“It’s more frustrating than anything else because this is a major championship and I love playing in these events,” said Woods, who earlier this year won his 15th career major with a victory at the Masters. “I love the atmosphere. I love just the stress of playing in a major. And unfortunately, I’ve only had a chance to win one of them [in 2019] and was able to do it. But the other three I didn’t do very well.”
Woods finished T-21 at the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, his last start a month ago before heading to Portrush, and missed the cut at the PGA Championship at Bethpage Black.
As for Mickelson, this will be his first missed cut in a major this year, with his best finish a T-18 at the Masters.