Outgoing champion Phil Mickelson will redouble efforts to win next year’s British Open after handing back the Claret Jug.
Mickelson, who memorably came through the field on the final day to win at Muirfield last year, was unable to retain his crown at Royal Liverpool.
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The left-hander finished strongly with a 4-under-par 68, but his 5-under aggregate left him with a share of 23rd place.
“It is disappointing, but it is also a good motivating factor for me,” Mickelson said. “Knowing how great it felt to win this tournament makes me want to work harder and get ready for St Andrews next year. I can’t think of a better site, or golf course, to win any tournament ever than St Andrews.
“To have the Open back there is a great opportunity and I will be working hard to try to get it back.”
Mickelson arrived at Hoylake having not won a tournament since his success at Muirfield.
It has been an unusually lean spell for Mickelson, 44, but he is confident his touch is returning.
“I thought I played well today,” he said. “I didn’t give any shots away and I shot what I thought I should shoot out there.
“It was a solid round of 4 under and it was a good way for me to get a little bit of confidence.
“I didn’t score as well as I could, but I played as well as I could, so my game’s not too far off.
“But to win this tournament you need to not only play great golf, but have a few breaks and some luck.”
Mickelson remains outside the automatic qualification places for the US Ryder Cup team. Should he not make it, most would expect captain Tom Watson to name him as one of his wildcard picks, but Mickelson is determined to win a spot outright.
Mickelson has played on every US team since 1995 and wants to make it without benefit of a handout from Watson.
“It does matter to me – it has been 19 years now where I have made it on my own,” he said.
Final-round surge proves bright future for Ireland’s Shane Lowry
Ireland’s Shane Lowry believes he has the ability to win the Open Championship in the future.
The 27 year old capped a good week at Royal Liverpool by storming up the leaderboard on the final day to finish 10 under with a superb 7-under 65.
His 278 aggregate left him in joint-ninth, his best finish in a major. Lowry finished as the runner-up to Rory McIlroy at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth two months ago.
“To shoot 65 in the final round of a major, especially when you’re looking at the top of the leaderboard, makes me feel good about myself,” said Lowry, who won a European Tour event as an amateur.
“I know if I have a chance down the line that is there, I can play the golf. I’m very comfortable in these surroundings. I love links golf and I think I’m good in bad conditions. I’m hopefully going to play another 15 or 20 Opens in my career. I think I could do it down the line.”
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