Despite frustrating losses, Phil Mickelson’s love for Quail Hollow never stronger

A golfer’s relationship with a golf course can be complicated.

Take Phil Mickelson, who, after missing the cut at The Players Championship last week, wondered aloud how he had ever won at TPC Sawgrass before.

Mickelson is having similar thoughts at the Wells Fargo Championship, which begins Thursday at Quail Hollow Club.

Only this time they’re opposite from The Players, which he won in 2007.

Mickelson, who is playing on a Quail Hollow course he loves, has never won the Wells Fargo in 11 previous attempts.

“(Quail Hollow) is such a perfectly suited golf course for me,” said Mickelson, a five-time major champion. “That’s kind of the irony of the situation. I’m looking to fix that.”

Mickelson, 44, has pretty much accomplished everything in the Wells Fargo except win.

He has won $2.64 million, second on the tournament’s all-time list behind Jim Furyk, whose earnings were substantially increased by his victory in 2006. Mickelson has finished second (2010), third (2013), tied for third (2007) and tied for fifth twice (2004 and ’09).

He has come up short in excruciating fashion. In 2013, Mickelson had a one-shot lead with three holes to play, but bogeys on Nos. 16 and 17 cost him. In 2010, Mickelson shot a final-round 68, but it wasn’t enough as Rory McIlroy shot 62 and beat him by four strokes.

Despite those frustrating finishes, Mickelson keeps returning. There’s no argument that of golf’s big names, Mickelson has been the most loyal to Quail Hollow. In fact, after this week, only two other players – Charles Howell III and J.J. Henry – will have played more times in the Wells Fargo. After missing the first Quail Hollow tournament in 2003, he has been back ever since.

“Next to Arnold Palmer, Phil is the most favored-nation guy we have,” Quail Hollow President Johnny Harris said. “He and I have a wonderful relationship. Of course, I’ve also been on the receiving end of it when he’s not happy.”

That’s where it gets complicated with Mickelson and Quail Hollow. As much as he enjoys the course, he also hasn’t been hesitant to offer criticism when he has felt it was warranted.

In 2010, Mickelson took aim at some of Quail Hollow’s greens.

“For as beautifully designed as this golf course is tee to green, the greens are by far the worst-designed greens we play on tour,” he said. “Even though they’re in immaculate shape, I would say that 18 would be the worst green we have on tour, except that it’s not even the worst green on the golf course. Twelve is.”

Because of Mickelson’s stature and the solid relationship he has with Harris and tournament executive director Kym Hougham, his concerns were treated seriously.

“His comments were not unfounded,” Hougham said. “Those greens have been redone since then. He has always been one our greatest ambassadors, so when he talked about the greens, we listened.”

Quail Hollow has continued to evolve, especially as the club prepares to host the PGA Championship in 2018. Other greens were reshaped and even moved after the 2013 tournament. Mickelson noticed – and offered some rather uncomplicated praise.

“I love what they’ve done to the golf course, softening some of the contouring,” said Mickelson, who is also offering his thoughts this week to Quail Hollow course designer Tom Fazio. “The beauty of Quail Hollow is in its simplicity.”

Mickelson is mired in one of the more inconsistent stretches of his career, and he has dropped to 18th in the world. His only top 10 this season has been a second at the Masters. Before missing the cut at last week’s Players, he withdrew from the World Golf Championships Match Play for “personal reasons.”

“We’ll see how I play (Thursday) because I thought (my game) was pretty good last week,” he said. “I thought I was ready to play, and I played terrible. I don’t feel far off.”

This story was originally published May 13, 2015 at 6:56 PM with the headline "Despite frustrating losses, Phil Mickelson’s love for Quail Hollow never stronger."