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Lefty Squanders Big Chance

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By PAUL NEWBERRY

The Associated Press

Published: September 21, 2008

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Six feet. Six little feet. A testy putt, to be sure, but one that defines the legacy of a player such as Phil Mickelson.

Besides, this is what Lefty had longed for: a chance to seize the moment at the Ryder Cup, a chance to give the Americans a crucial boost going to the final day of an event they haven't won since 1999.

This is surely what U.S. captain Paul Azinger had in mind when he sent Mickelson back to the course in the afternoon, even after his dream pairing with Anthony Kim squandered the closest thing to a sure win in the morning.

So, Mickelson studied the putt at the 17th hole from every angle, took a couple of swings just for practice, then settled over the ball.

He drew his club back, and swung it forward. The ball was on its way.

Right by the cup.

After a day of seeming redemption, Mickelson's shaky Ryder Cup history bubbled back to the surface Saturday. He and Kim, probably the most talented American tandem, tossed away a 4-up lead after six holes in an alternate-shot match against Henrik Stenson and unheralded Oliver Wilson, whom the Europeans didn't even bother to use on the opening day.

Then, Mickelson missed that short birdie putt, which would have broken a tie going to the final hole. He wasn't much help on the 18th, either, knocking his tee shot into a bunker, putting his second shot on the side of a hill and then making a tentative chip.

It was left to Hunter Mahan to bail the Americans out. He made the birdie at No. 18 and the Americans escaped with a half-point in their match against Stenson and Robert Karlsson. The home team goes to the final day with a 9-7 lead, but it might have been bigger with more of a contribution from Mickelson.

"It was a very emotional and up-and-down day," Lefty said. "But we fought hard all day, and Hunter and I hung in there. Obviously we wanted to win. We had opportunities for that."

Paired with Kim for an alternate-shot match, Mickelson sure had plenty of chances to win. Heck, it looked over when a par at No. 6 gave the Americans a commanding four-hole cushion.

But Mickelson and Kim quickly handed it back, losing four of the next six holes. Then, after another errant drive by Lefty at No. 15 and an unnecessarily bold shot by Kim around a tree, off a European official and into a creek, the Europeans were ahead to stay.

Wilson sank a 30-foot birdie at No. 17 to put the pressure on Mickelson. He missed a 20-footer to keep the match going. Kim, watching with his hands on his knee, nearly crumpled to the ground.

"We had some momentum," Mickelson said. "Unfortunately, a couple of bad shots by us, and we ended up squandering a lead. We still fought hard. It looked like we were going to bring that thing down to the end until that long putt."

And what about Mickelson's putt at that same hole a few hours later, after Azinger shook up his pairings to put his highest-ranked player with Mahan?

"I kept reading more and more break as I got over it," Mickelson said. "I didn't want to jam it in, and I just overplayed the break. It wasn't that hard, but it was about ... 3 or 4 inches out, and I overplayed it just a touch."

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