WATCH: Golf gods cruel to Phil Mickelson as major championship record putt lips out

Phil Mickelson's 18 footer on 18 to break the scoring record at a major championship for a single round looked center cut before cruelly lipping out

Phil Mickelson torched Royal Troon on Thursday afternoon at the 145th Open Championship, firing a bogey-free 8-under 63 to break the course record and tie the record for low score at a major championship.

Normally, that would be reason to celebrate -- and it is -- but with the way his birdie putt on 18 missed, it felt like another cruel trick played on Mickelson by the golf gods. Mickelson, who was phenomenal on the greens all day, appeared to have made a perfect putt on the right-to-left breaking ... but about a foot before the hole, it snapped to the right off of the line that seemed destined for the center of the cup.

Phil Mickelson came SO close to a low major score of 62 #TheOpenpic.twitter.com/n91YpkelLG

— The Open (@TheOpen) July 14, 2016

Mickelson's reaction showed how well he thought he'd hit it. He had the putter lifted and was striding toward the cup before it jumped to the right, leaving him stunned with his hand on his head wondering how the ball stayed out.

It's the latest cruel lip out on 18 by a player in search of the first 62 at a major, right along with Nick Price at the 1986 Masters and Tiger Woods at the 2007 PGA Championship, who both also saw the golf gods deny them history alone.

Mickelson met up with Golf Channel for an interview following his round and watched a number of his highlights from the day before walking the viewers through his putt on 18. After watching the putt again, the pain of the miss was evident in his response.

"All these highlights, and I feel like crying."