Given where Mickelson was just a few weeks ago, this seemed like an impossible dream. I told him in a text this morning, I said, 'Phil, I'm getting too old for this, but you aren't. "This is maybe his greatest win because of the golf course, the venue, the odds against him. To come back and do this on this course, after we haven't had a great two years, it's heaven-sent. I knew he was going to win more than one major. "When you don't expect them, they are one of a kind,'' said Steve Loy, Mickelson's coach at Arizona State and his longtime agent. Mickelson hadn't finished among the top 20 going back 17 events to last summer. The result was a nervy final round that saw him hit 7 of 14 fairways and 11 of 18 greens while finding success off the tee and in his iron game. So he went to a 4-wood instead, one that he used several times off the tee. Mickelson's 2-iron suffered the same fate while he was warming up Sunday. He even overcame two equipment malfunctions, one that saw his beloved 2-wood need to be replaced after the face caved in while he was practicing Saturday night. There were five multishot swings between Mickelson, Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen during the first 10 holes.īut ultimately, Mickelson prevailed, helped by the fact that his closest pursuers were unable to avoid the pitfalls that the Ocean Course presented all week. He began the day with a 1-shot lead over Koepka, seemed doomed after a shaky first hole that saw him lose the advantage, then took it back on the next hole. He made a poor chip on the third and took bogey but he blasted a drive on the seventh to set up a birdie. He holed a sand shot on the fifth for a birdie he hit his second shot into the water on the 13th and made bogey. Mickelson's 1-over-par 73 on Sunday had its moments of glory and gory. I just didn't see why it couldn't be done.
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That's what drives me, and I think the belief that I could still do it inspired me to work harder. I love having opportunities to play against the best at the highest level. I've always been intrinsically motivated because I love to compete. I've never been driven by exterior things. That's been the biggest challenge of late. "I just had to work harder physically to be able to practice as long as I wanted to, and I've had to work a lot harder to be able to maintain focus throughout a round. "Worked harder is the deal," Mickelson said. And yet here is Phil, nearly a decade after going into the World Golf Hall of Fame, finishing above them all, including Brooks Koepka, the four-time major winner who seemed poised to steal Mickelson's brilliance. The game is too deep, the young players too seasoned, the physical skills too demanding for AARP members to remain factors. Davis Love III was the last player to win on the PGA Tour past the age of 50 - and he did that six years ago. And Hale Irwin, in the tournament on a special exemption, won the U.S. Jack Nicklaus was considered ancient when he won the Masters at 46 in 1986. at 45 was the oldest to win The Open, during Andrew Johnson's presidency. Boros was 48 when he won the PGA Championship in 1968. Mickelson surpassed Julius Boros as the oldest major champion. And he still has the drive to go and chase. Because we were in carts, you could play as many holes as you wanted. "I got to spend some time with Phil the week before he went to and he was just playing a bunch of golf.
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"It's the same way I talk about Tiger they're both golf nerds,'' Fowler said. Rickie Fowler, 18 years younger and a frequent playing companion of Mickelson's, took in the euphoric scene in front of the Ocean Course clubhouse late Sunday as thousands of fans chanted the PGA champion's name. To say anyone saw this coming at the beginning of the week would be like spitting into the Kiawah Island wind. He is the first player in his 50s to claim one of golf's grandest prizes. And when the calendar kept turning, Mickelson never gave in to the clock on the wall, instead choosing to fight back and stay relevant. He takes on players half his age and relishes beating them, getting into their pockets in money games. Mickelson is 50 but still acts like a kid. Lefty never lost that passion, which is why on Sunday at the PGA Championship he became the oldest major champion in the game's storied history.
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It's why careers fade away, why glory is fleeting. That would seemingly be a prerequisite for greatness, but it is hardly a common trait among the elite. Phil Mickelson loves the banter, loves the competition, loves golf.
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You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĪt 50, Phil Mickelson still loves the chase and caught himself one more major championship