Phil Mickelson To Skip Upcoming U.S. Open For Daughter’s High School Graduation

Phil Mickelson has never won the U.S. Open, and will likely have to wait until next year to compete in one.

The five-time major champion and three-time Master’s winner intends to skip this year’s U.S. Open to instead attend his daughter’s high school graduation ceremony.

The tournament, which takes place from June 15-18 at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin, coincides with his daughter Amanda’s graduation from Pacific Ridge School in Carlsbad, California. Mickelson has opted to attend instead of compete, saying in a statement that, “This is one of those moments where you look back on in life and you just don’t want to miss it.”

Mickelson, 46, has a record six second-place finishes in the U.S. Open and it is the only major championship he has yet to win in 26 attempts. With a win at a U.S. Open, he would become the sixth player to complete the career grand slam.

He will have to wait just a little bit longer, but seems to be looking forward to Amanda’s graduation. She will be attending Brown University in Rhode Island in the fall. Amanda, the school’s president, will also deliver a commencement speech.

This is not the first time Mickelson’s daughter interfered with this specific major championship – in 1999, he lost on the 72nd hole to Payne Stewart after he sunk a 20-foot par putt to win the tournament and beat Mickelson by one stroke. Amanda was born the following day. Dad kept a pager on him during the tournament in case his wife went into labor.

Mickelson will not risk anything in 2017, although he will wait until the last day possible to withdraw from the U.S. Open, just in case a situation arises where the two events would no longer coincide with each other.

But Lefty will make the right move by putting his daughter first.