No U.S. Open golf this week, but we can still wish Phil Mickelson a happy birthday

SportsPulse: Sports mental health expert Eric Kussin discusses some of the hurdles athletes may face mentally once the games resume. USA TODAY

As the PGA Tour returned to action over the weekend, it brought one more professional sport back from its coronavirus-related suspension to live competition. Under normal conditions, this would have been U.S. Open week … but the event at Winged Foot Country Club in New York has been moved to September.  

It should come as no surprise that with the U.S. Open’s traditional Father’s Day conclusion, we’d see multiple memorable moments in golf history occur on the same date in mid-June. 

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But June 16 has more than its share of coincidences. 

Oakland Hills Country Club outside Detroit has hosted the U.S. Open on six different occasions. Three of those times, the tournament ended on June 16.

In 1951, Ben Hogan called it “the greatest test of golf I have ever played and the toughest course” when he shot a final-round 67 (one of only two sub-par rounds in the entire tournament) to Clayton Heafner by two shots.

In 1985, Andy North won his second U.S. Open title with a one-shot victory over Dave Barr, TC Chen and Denis Watson.

And in 1996, Steve Jones won his only major, besting Tom Lehman and Davis Love III by a stroke. 

Steve Jones celebrates after sinking a par putt on the 18th hole to win the 1996 U.S. Open at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield, Mich. (Photo: Richard Sheinwald, AP)

(Incidentally, Oak Hill Country Club in suburban Rochester, N.Y., has hosted the U.S. Open three times — and twice had the final round on June 16 — with Cary Middlecoff winning in 1956 and Lee Trevino taking the title in 1968.)

Just for fun, here are the five best golfers to never win a U.S. Open title:

5. Harry “Lighthorse” Cooper

4. Greg Norman

3. Nick Faldo

2. Phil Mickelson

1. Sam Snead

Meanwhile, Orville Moody’s only win on the PGA Tour … was the 1969 U.S. Open.

Sports video of the day

Happy 50th birthday to the one and only Phil Mickelson, who has thrilled and dazzled golf fans worldwide while maintaining a top-50 spot in the world golf rankings for 25 consecutive seasons.

For all his heroics — not to mention his five major championships — Phil has still never won the U.S. Open, even though he’s finished second a record six times. (Could a date change away from his birthday help Phil break the streak this year?)

Those highs and lows are what make Mickelson such a compelling personality, as today’s video demonstrates. 

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MLB STALEMATE?Commissioner Rob Manfred now “not confident” there will be a 2020 season

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NASCAR’S BIG PLANS:All-Star race at Bristol expected to draw 30,000 fans

WNBA BUBBLE:League finalizing details of 22-game season and playoffs in Florida

DIVERSITY NEEDED:Understanding each other isn’t just a fantasy in baseball

Sports on TV

MLB (classic): MLB Network’s “All-Time Games” series features Tom Seaver’s no-hitter on June 16, 1978. First pitch is at 5 p.m. ET.

NBA (classic): NBA TV’s Popcast offers bonus fun facts as the Cleveland Cavaliers take on Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals at 9 p.m. ET. 

NHL (classic):NBC Sports Network has the 2019 Heritage Classic between the Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets at 7 p.m. ET.

Golf (classic):Golf Channel celebrates the U.S. Open all day, concluding with “Golf’s Greatest Rounds” at 9 p.m. ET, featuring Hale Irwin’s 1974 title at Winged Foot.

Soccer (live): FS2 will air a German Bundesliga doubleheader, with Borussia Mönchengladbach-VfL Wolfsburg at 12:20 p.m. ET and then Werder Bremen hosting league leaders Bayern Munich at 2:30 p.m. ET.

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