LIV Golf stars Phil Mickelson and Jon Rahm were knocked out in Round 2 of the PGA Championship after a challenging finish on Friday at Valhalla. Six-time major championships winner Mickelson, aged 53, started with 74 before following with a one-over 72 - finishing four-over par and marking the end of his brief PGA Championship stint.
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Mickelson has admitted that he's nearing the end of his career, with the American also failing to make an impact in the breakaway Saudi tour, LIV Golf, where he ranks 39th in the individual standings. Spaniard Rahm, on the other hand, hasn't won a tournament since last year's Masters and he hasn't been at his best since joining Mickelson, and other high-profile golfers, in LIV Golf.
However, LIV Golf still has a strong presence as the PGA Championship progresses, with 11 golfers making the cut, including Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Dean Burmester, Talor Gooch, Tyrrell Hatton, Lucas Herbert, Martin Kaymer, Brooks Koepka, Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Reed, and Cameron Smith, who'll all be competing over the weekend. Express Sport examines five LIV Golf stars who missed the cut at Valhalla on Friday.
Phil Mickelson
Mickelson's PGA Championship came to an early end with a four-over par finish. "I'm 53 now and my career, you know, if I'm being truthful it's toward its end, while also making a telling remark about his potential next steps, saying: "Now, I would like to help others find the same enjoyment and fulfillment that the game of golf has provided me," he confessed, hinting at his future plans:
"I'm 53 now and my career, you know, if I'm being truthful it's toward its end, while also making a telling remark about his potential next steps, saying: Now, I would like to help others find the same enjoyment and fulfillment that the game of golf has provided me," Mickelson revealed to Bloomberg earlier this month.
Jon Rahm
Jon Rahm had a disappointing Friday, becoming one of the latest high-profile golfers to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf. Rahm found himself at T80 with scores of 70-72, leaving him at an overall even par. "Surprised," was how Rahm described his two rounds.
"Surprised because of how I felt like I was hitting it in Australia and Singapore and in the week off before coming here, especially off the tee, hitting great drives and that's what's been my downfall. I just couldn't find a fairway off the tee. You can make birdies off the fairway, but off the rough, it's a tough golf course to score on and that's kind of what happened to me."
In a frustrated tone, he said: "I was just hoping to get one more and clear myself. But yeah, when you're playing bad you kind need the extra motivation some kind of way. It was on my mind and the swing wasn't quite there, but with the putter, I felt comfortable.
"I was just begging to give myself some kind of a chance and I could never give myself anything on the last three holes. I think it was 25 feet. 25 feet and 60 feet, which I've been less nervous over some putts at distance in my career, that's for sure."
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Adrian Meronk
It's certainly not a result Adrian Meronk would have wanted either; the 2023 DP World Player of the Year ended up in 91st place with scores of 74-69 and a two-under-par 69 on Friday. Despite his impressive record in LIV Golf, including three top-10 finishes in his first seven starts, this will be a bitter pill to swallow.
Andy Ogletree
Meanwhile, things didn't go too well for Andy Ogletree either. The 26-year-old golf star wound up with a +5 score in Friday's round after bogeying the par-4, 6th hole in the back nine. Even with birdies on his final three holes, it was sadly insufficient to make the cut.
David Puig
As for young Spanish sensation David Puig, his PGA Championship debut didn't turn out the way he'd hoped. He finished T108 with a score of 3-over par, with rounds of 72-73. This comes as a surprise, given his excellent track record of seven top-10 finishes - two victories among them - and three top 15s in his non-LIV Golf starts this year.
