Five-times major champion Phil Mickelson has declared the Oakmont Country Club, the venue for next week's U.S. Open, as the toughest golf course he has ever played.

Phil Mickelson has spent more than three decades traveling the country as a professional golfer. After playing for the ...

Tod Leonard, a native San Diegan who attended San Diego State, covered golf and many other sports for The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Mickelson, who might have played his final U.S. Open last month when he missed the cut at Oakmont, has a record six runner-up finishes in that tournament.