“It's fun to play well” – Phil Mickelson on his game after bottling chance of first LIV Golf win with a quintuple bogey

Phil Mickelson was in the run for his first-ever LIV Golf win on Sunday at LIV Golf Bedminster. The 53-year-old had a great start to the event in New Jersey. However, the ace golfer bottled his chances and ultimately settled for a T9 finish at the Trump National Golf Club.

Disaster struck for Mickelson at the 191-yard par-3 seventh. The golfer pulled his tee shot into the water, before making another water ball. He finally made the green and made a tournament-ending, quintuple-bogey 8 on a par 3 during the final round.

Despite the forgettable round, Leftie sounded positive about his game. The 2021 PGA Championship winner stated that he is “starting to show glimpses of playing a lot better” even though his play on Sunday was bad. He also added that "it is fun to play well."

Phil Mickelson was quoted as saying by Golf Digest:

“I'm starting to show glimpses of playing a lot better even though today wasn't my best. I'm looking forward to taking a few weeks off to regroup and then come back for our last three events and try to finish strong because I've seen a lot of progress.

"It's fun to play well. I’ve been working hard, and I have not yet been getting the results. So, getting in contention was a big step for me and to start scoring is a big step and something I can build on.”

Opening up on the first tee shot on No. 7, Mickelson added:

“I had been hitting really good iron shots and I didn't even worry about the water. I just pulled both of them; I don't know what happened whether it was setup or something. That was kind of a gut punch because I thought I was playing well and had a chance to make a move and I thought I could get.”

---

Phil Mickelson grateful to Jersey fans amid gambling controversy

It is pertinent to note that Phil Mickelson came into LIV Golf Bedminster on the back of a rollercoaster week. On Thursday, an excerpt from American sports bettor and former Mickelson associate Billy Walters' upcoming book revealed some alleged secrets about his gambling habit.

According to Walters’ claims, the six-time major winner had asked to bet $400,000 on the Americans to win the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah. However, the golfer has since denied the allegations. Despite the distractions and noise, Mickelson was grateful that the Jersey fans never turned on him.

Speaking beside the 18th green on Sunday, the LIV golfer said:

“The people here are great. I've always loved coming here and they really support professional golf, whether it's majors, playoffs, LIV events. They're incredible fans.”

It is pertinent to note that LIV Golf now goes on a five-week break before heading to Chicago for the next event. Phil Mickelson and the series’ 47 other players have some time to regroup.