‘We’re All Disappointed’: Watching His Teammate Breakdown Forced Phil Mickelson to Comfort Him at the 2010 Ryder Cup

Phil Mickelson is known for his easygoing personality. He likes to joke around and even pull pranks on his colleagues and junior players in the golf world. However, did you know that the fun-loving Lefty had once handled a situation professionally when one of his fellow golfers was having an emotional outburst? 

Winning and losing is part of a competition; all professional sports entities understand this. However, it is hard when one loses it, and it affects the entire team’s results. Hunter Mahan was in a similar dilemma after the 2010 Ryder Cup, which made him burst into tears in front of everyone.

When Phil Mickelson became the guardian angel of his Ryder Cup teammate

Hunter Mahan and Northern Ireland’s, Graeme McDowell, were the last to play in the singles match at the 2010 Ryder Cup. Incidentally, it all came down to that final event to decide the winning team. While McDowell endured the pressure and led his team to victory by winning the match, Hunter failed to deliver his duty. 

“Proud of being part of this team…” Mahan visibly struggled to talk during the press meet after Team US lost to Team Europe at the 2010 Ryder Cup. His voice trembled as he tried to hold back his tears while answering the questions from the media. 

“We’re all proud to be part of this team.” Mickelson soon realized how his teammate couldn’t keep his emotions in control during the press meet and handled the situation professionally by taking over the mic from him. His professionalism made Mahan not face the questions while crying. “It’s been a good team,” he added. “We’re all disappointed that we didn’t come through. We all wanted to win here in Europe awfully bad.” 

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Notably, the 2-time WGC champion couldn’t keep a straight face throughout the press meet and cried whenever the questions were directed at him. Mickelson and his other teammates helped him to get through the situation.

Another awful loss for Team US on European soil

Since 1993, Team US has never won the event on European soil. Therefore, they were determined to win in 2010 when the Celtic Manor Resort in Wales hosted the tournament. 

Captain Corey Pavin’s US team included Phil Mickelson, Tiger Woods, Bubba Watson, Hunter Mahan, Dustin Johnson, and many talented golfers. Although they failed to bring the trophy back home, the team fought well. They lost the event for one point, which Hunter Mahan lost to Graeme McDowell. While Team Europe scored 14 1/2, Team US had 13 1/2. 

As Mickelson said in the interview, Team US wanted to win the 2010 Ryder Cup badly. Therefore, it was twice the pressure on Mahan in his last match to win. Loosing to McDowell made him unable to control his emotions. And Mickelson’s quick thinking helped him from becoming a big joke in front of the public. 

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