The Open at Royal Troon: Phil Mickelson reaction

Phil Mickelson conceded that his close brush with history at The Open had left him needing a shoulder to cry on.

The American produced a stunning round at Royal Troon and had a putt at the 18th to card the first 62 in major history.

Somehow, though, his ball stayed out of the hole having circled around it, appearing destined to drop.

"I want to cry," said the left-hander as he walked into his media conference.

"That putt on 18 was an opportunity to do something historical. I knew it and with a foot to go I thought I had done it.

"I saw that ball rolling right in the centre. I went to go get it, I had that surge of adrenaline that I had just shot 62 and then I had the heartbreak that I didn't and watched that ball lip out.

"It was, wow, that stings.

"This one's going to stay with me for a while because of the historical element of the major championships.

"There's a lot of guys that have shot 63, but nobody has shot that 62. That would have been really something special.

"I'm just not going to have opportunities like that to do that. So to have that putt lip out, that's going to sting for a while."

The five-time major winner closed his round three shots clear at the summit.