Weary Phil Mickelson leads American team into his 10th straight Ryder Cup

Phil Mickelson’s only top-10 finish in his forgettable 2014 season, a runner-up result at the PGA Championship in August, earned the popular southpaw a spot on his 10th consecutive U.S. Ryder Cup team.

Unfortunately for the 44-year-old winner of five major championships, Valhalla was the Valhalla of Mickelson’s campaign, which wasn’t saying much considering the season just ended was the worst of Lefty’s professional career. Indeed, after his BMW Championship withdrawal, his third WD of the year, the world’s 11th-ranked golfer was not even around for the festivities at the FedEx Cup playoff finale -- the first time since 1992 that he or Tiger Woods had not qualified for the season-ending Tour Championship.

“My primary goal is to rest and prepare for the Ryder Cup,” Mickelson, who earned some rare bad PR with his injury-unrelated move, said in a statement after his stealth retirement early Saturday morning from the third of four FedEx Cup playoff games. “Without a chance to contend at the Tour Championship, the most important thing for me now is to prepare for the Ryder Cup.”

After missing the secondary cut at The Barclays (to go with three 36-hole MCs in 2014), Mickelson griped about the PGA Tour’s congested season-ending schedule, which had him starting five events in six weeks and appearing rather fatigued, to say the least.

Mickelson in 2012 with his likely partner for 2014, Keegan Bradley. Via Andrew Redington

“I’m barely keeping my sanity,” Mickelson said after The Barclays as he pondered skipping the Deutsche Bank Championship. “I’m so frustrated.”

Rory McIlroy stepped into a hornet’s nest earlier this month when he averred what everybody else had observed, that Mickelson appeared “a little tired the last couple of weeks” — hardly a news flash after The Thrill’s disappearing act from the BMW.

Mickelson did end up playing at TPC Boston, where he finished T45 after predicting his performance would be a “crapshoot” — a description he would likely use to forecast his upcoming play at Gleneagles, which will be his 10th straight Ryder Cup appearance for the red, white, and blue.