ERIN, Wis. – With no rain in sight, Phil Mickelson has officially withdrawn from the U.S. Open.
Mickelson is in California for his daughter Amanda’s high school graduation, which begins at 12 p.m. CT, and his participation at Erin Hills hinged on a lengthy weather delay that might allow him to make the cross-country flight before his 2:20 p.m. tee time. But the forecast calls for sunny skies Thursday, and Mickelson informed the USGA of his withdrawal shortly after 8 a.m.
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Mickelson will be replaced in the field by Mexico’s Roberto Diaz, 30, who was an alternate from the Summit, N.J., sectional and will be making his U.S. Open debut.
This marks the first time since 1993 that Mickelson will miss the U.S. Open, and it’s just the second major championship he has skipped in that time. He also missed The Open in 2009 while his wife, Amy, was battling breast cancer.
Mickelson has been runner-up in this tournament a record six times, most recently in 2013, but it remains the lone elusive leg of the career Grand Slam. Mickelson will turn 47 on Friday and will now have to wait another 12 months before getting another chance at Shinnecock Hills, where he finished second behind Retief Goosen in 2004.
Source: Internet
