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After Rory at The Masters, it’s Phil Mickelson’s turn to go, once again, for the career grand slam at this week’s US Open.
Shinnecock Hills presents the left-hander’s fifth shot at becoming just the sixth player in history to win all four men’s major championships.
Some would it argue it’s his best chance, too, given his past record at the New York club. He finished tied for fourth in the 1995 US Open and was runner-up to Retief Goosen in 2004.
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However, whilst he admits winning is ‘certainly a goal’, the 47-year-old is refusing to get carried away thinking about the magnitude of what he could achieve in the next week.
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“The more I think about winning, the more it detracts away from my focus and the process of playing a round on Thursday,” said Mickelson. “So I don’t really want to try to win right now. I just want to get in for the weekend.
“I love the challenge. I really love the challenge, and I love that I have another opportunity to try and complete the career grand slam.
“My goal, though, is not to try to win on Thursday. My goal is to stay in it Thursday, stay in it Friday, and have an opportunity for the weekend.”
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He added: “The last thing I’m thinking about right now is trying to win. When you try to go out and win a US Open, you will lose it quick.”
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Mickelson has finished runner-up a record six times in 26 US Open appearances. The most recent of those near-misses came in 2013 when he was pipped down the stretch at Merion by Justin Rose, above.
He skipped last year’s event at Erin Hills – won by Brooks Koepka – to attend his daughter’s high school graduation.
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