Phil Mickelson calls Ryder Cup 'one of the biggest lows of my career'

Phil Mickelson said this past Ryder Cup was one of the toughest weeks of his career. (Getty Images)

It is no lie that Phil Mickelson has had some pretty incredible losses in his career. Before 2004, Phil was the subject of collapses, falling apart in every major championship that he contended in before taking home that first Masters (which, it's worth noting, included a putt he drained on the 72nd hole).

But according to Mickelson, the 2012 Ryder Cup might have been one of the toughest. Mickelson, playing against Justin Rose in singles on Sunday at Medinah, had a chip shot on the 17th hole to end the match. After it stopped on the lip, Rose rolled his birdie in, made an equally-impressive birdie on 18 and won the match.

That point, coupled with a few other collapses on the American side, swung the Ryder Cup in the Europeans' favor.

Mickelson spoke this week in Shenzhen, China, about the Ryder Cup. His words said all you really need to know about this last team match for the United States.

"I think the first two weeks following the Ryder Cup was a really tough low, one of the biggest lows of my career," he says. "It was one of the biggest disappointments that I've had to deal with.

"That disappointment will last a lot longer than a month. I still feel disappointment from it. I still feel that over the next two years, we'll still have the same disappointment from not winning this year's Ryder Cup."

It's a fair point by Mickelson. The collapse was stuff of legends, and it seemed the Americans had it all but wrapped up before that final day. But is Mickelson forgetting Pinehurst? Or Shinnecock? Or Winged Foot? Come on, Phil. You've had way more intense collapses than some crazy Ryder Cup.

All jokes aside, this does say a lot about how important the Ryder Cup has seemed to become for some of these veterans. A few years ago, Mickelson and Tiger Woods were pushing for participation money for this event. Now, it's one of the biggest losses in their careers.