Mickelson at a loss after final round 78

Mickelson at a loss after final round 78

Phil Mickelson didn’t know quite how to explain the disappointing 78 he shot Sunday in the final round of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational.

He had started the day in a tie for 10th, four strokes off the lead. Not to mention, he had a another chance to take over No. 1 in the world with a finish of fourth or better.

Instead, on a day that dawned with such promise, Mickelson finished in a distant tie for 46th at 3 over. So the 2010 Masters champ will head to next week’s PGA Championship in search of answers.

"It was a rough day if you couldn’t tell," Mickelson said. "It was a rough day. … I felt pretty good today. I felt good on the range, I hit some good shots. I felt like I was sharp and ready to go attack the golf course and make some birdies. And it just didn’t happen.

"I don’t know what to say. I mean, then the round obviously got away. But it didn’t feel like it was far off. But it turned out to be."

Asked whether the first two rounds, where Mickelson was one stroke off the lead, or the last two were more indicative of the state of his game, Lefty wasn’t quite sure. He said it wasn’t unlike the way he felt after tying for 35th the week before he went to Augusta National and won his fourth major.

"I mean, you’re only as good as your last performance," Mickelson said. "This wasn’t very good. … Although it looked way off, it didn’t feel like it was that far off. I felt like there were still some decent shots that I hit, but the round just got away from me there."

The par-5 second hole started the slide. He hit his approach into a greenside bunker and then airmailed his third over the green before finally chipping on and two-putting for bogey.

"If that hybrid carries onto the green, I have a two-putt birdie and everything is fine," said Mickelson, who went on to make six more bogeys and a double bogey before finally making his only birdie of the day at the 17th hole.

"And then I felt like maybe I was pressing for birdies from there and just couldn’t quite get any.”

Of course, Mickelson will go into the PGA with yet another chance to unseat Tiger Woods as the No. 1 player in the game. He’s been second for a record 258 weeks but right now Mickelson has other more pressing concerns.

"If I keep finishing ahead of them every week eventually it’ll happen, but the problem is there’s guys behind me that will pass me because I’m not playing well enough right now," Mickelson said. "I’ve got some work to do to get my own game sharp.

"Fortunately I have some more tournaments here where I’m able to try to get in a groove and play more consecutive weeks. But it’s important with this last major coming up next week that I try to get this thing turned around here in the next three days."