“We'll all be left scratching our heads” – When then Captain Hal Sutton commented on Phil Mickelson’s infamous equipment change at the Ryder Cup 2004

Phil Mickelson is one of the most successful golfers in the Ryder Cup. Over the years, he has played in the biennial tournament for a dozen times. However, the American golfer will miss this year's event because he has joined the LIV Golf.

During the 2004 Ryder Cup, the lefty switched his golf gear just a few weeks ahead of the tournament. He was playing with Titleist's equipment, however, they could not stand on the same page regarding their deal and thus split ways. Mickelson joined Callaway.

Mickelson was sure to have a good finish in the competition and contribute points to his team. However, he struggled with his game. The then-US Ryder Cup captain Hal Sutton was also frustrated by the result and in an interview with the media in 2004, he said that his team was looking for an answer from the lefty.

Sutton said (via the Golf Digest):

“We'll all be left scratching our heads on that. We'll all want answers to that. But the most important person that's going to have to wonder about that is going to be Phil Mickelson. It's not going to cause us any grief in the morning because he's going to be cheering instead of playing.”

Phil Mickelson was paired up with Tiger Woods for the first round of the match but they fell to Collin Montgomerie and Padraig Harrington by 2 and 1. However, he rebounded on the second day when paired with David Toms but lost to Sergio Garcia in Sunday singles. It was one of the worst Ryder Cup performances of Mickelson.

Nonetheless, Mickelson supported his decision to switch the golf gear saying (via Golf Digest):

"What I can't live with is going with somebody else's opinion and having it be wrong. I know that I made the right decision. Nobody else believes it but I can live with that. If I went the other way and played with something that everybody else thought was right, but I didn't, that I can't live with. So, it was a mistake I can live with. But it wasn't a mistake."

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Phil Mickelson’s Ryder Cup record

Mickelson played in the Ryder Cup 12 times. He made his debut in the event in 1995 and last played in 2018. His records at the event are 18-22-7.

Here are the results of Phil Mickelson's Ryder Cup:

• Career Ryder Cup record (Wins, Losses, Halves): 18-22-7
• Years Played: 1995-97-99-2002-04-06-08-10-12-14-16-18
• Total Matches: 47
• Singles (W-L-H): 8-6-1
• Foursomes (W-L-H): 5-8-4
• Four-balls (W-L-H): 8-8-2

Phil Mickelson's year-wise Ryder Cup record

1995

• Points: 3
• Result (W-L-H): 3-0-0

1997

• Points: 2
• Result (W-L-H): 1-1-2

1999

• Points: 2
• Result (W-L-H): 2-2-0

2002

• Points: 2.5
• Result (W-L-H): 2-2-1

2004

• Points: 1
• Result (W-L-H): 1-3-0

2006

• Points: 0.5
• Result (W-L-H): 0-4-1

2008

• Points: 2
• Result (W-L-H): 1-2-2

2010

• Points: 1
• Result (W-L-H): 1-3-0

2012

• Points: 3
• Result (W-L-H): 3-1-0

2014

• Points: 2
• Result (W-L-H): 2-1-0

2016

• Points: 2.5
• Result (W-L-H): 2-1-1

2018

• Points: 0
• Result (W-L-H): 0-2-0