The sunglasses may have given the impression of calm, but with every deep breath Phil Mickelson took before each crucial shot, the gallery caught a glimpse of the nerves that come with a Sunday at a major championship.
We kept waiting for the collapse. The moment when Lefty would revert to his old ways and try a shot no other golfer would attempt, before finally succumbing to the pressure of the moment.
The moment never came. With every deep breath, every attempt to settle his heart rate, Phil Mickelson showed us why some get better with age.
It had been eight years since Mickelson last tasted victory at a major — the 2013 Open Championship — and two years since his last victory on the PGA Tour. He’d missed six cuts since September and had fallen out of the top 100 in the Official Golf World Ranking.
None of that matters anymore. Mickelson just won his sixth major championship and became the oldest player in the history of golf to win a major.
Playing at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island in South Carolina, Mickelson found a way to outlast the young golf stars who have given him so much trouble for the past several years.
He entered the day with just a one-shot lead on four-time major champion Brooks Koepka and, after the first hole, looked like he was in for another disappointment. His shaky start — a bogey on the first — coupled with Koepka’s near perfect birdie, gave many the familiar feeling of dread that often comes with a Mickelson round of golf.
After the bogey at one, Mickelson birdied the second hole as Koepka made double-bogey to give Lefty the lead once again. Mickelson added another bogey to his card at the third hole before a classic birdie chip-in from out of the sand at the fifth.
"OH MY GRACIOUS!"
PHIL JUST DID THAT. pic.twitter.com/wA3hu2cNxG
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) May 23, 2021
With eight holes to go, Mickelson held a four-stroke lead as the course brutally claimed victim after victim. There was some uneasiness at 13 and 14, as Mickelson seemed to allow the moment to get to him with back-to-back bogeys, but Koepka couldn’t mount a charge, and Loius Oosthuizen had a double bogey at 13 to give Mickelson some breathing room.
This wasn’t supposed to happen. At 50 years old, Mickelson should be spending most of his time on the Senior Tour, not winning major championships. Before his victory on Sunday, the oldest golfer to win a major was Julius Boros at the 1968 PGA Championship — Boros was 48 years, four months and 18 days old at the time. A golfer winning a major championship at Mickelson’s age just isn’t normal.
But then again, nothing about Mickelson is “normal.” From starting his own coffee company, hitting “hellacious seeds” off the tee, to his constant talk of “activating the calves,” Mickelson has always done it his way.
It’s what makes him a fan favorite on The Tour. He’s as likeable as anyone, and the reaction from the gallery throughout the day on Sunday proved as much.
As Mickelson stepped up to his approach shot on 18 with a two-shot lead, the crowd behind him swelled. It was pure chaos as chants of “Lefty, Lefty, Lefty” echoed across the wind-swept fairway. As Mickelson stuck a 9-iron onto the green at 18, the crowd no longer could control their excitement.
Who said golf on @wjz wasn't intense? When is the last time we saw a crowd GO OFF like this? @PhilMickelson is LIGHTS OUT. pic.twitter.com/77hrobJeJm
— Max McGee (@MaxMcGeeTV) May 23, 2021
Mickelson emerged from the crowd for a two-putt par and a history making moment.
“One of the moments I’ll cherish my entire life,” Mickelson said. “I don’t know how to describe the feeling of excitement and fulfillment and accomplishment to do something of this magnitude when very few people thought that I could.”
In the ultimate display of respect, his competitors stuck around to watch the man they all love finally get back to the top. Rickie Fowler, Oosthuizen, Padraig Harrington, and many others came over to congratulate Mickelson as he walked toward the tent to sign his scorecard.
“He’s been on tour as long as I’ve been alive,” Jon Rahm said. “For him to keep that willingness to play and compete and practice, it’s truly admirable.”
Even Tiger Woods — missing from the PGA Championship as he recovers from his horrific car accident — showed his appreciation.
Truly inspirational to see @PhilMickelson do it again at 50 years of age. Congrats!!!!!!!
— Tiger Woods (@TigerWoods) May 23, 2021
In typical Mickelson fashion, he kept us guessing after the round as to what will come next.
“It’s very possible that this is the last tournament I ever win, like if I’m being realistic,” Mickelson said according to ESPN. “But it’s also very possible that I may have had a little bit of a breakthrough in some of my focus and maybe I go on a little bit of a run. I don’t know.
“But the point is that there’s no reason why I or anybody else can’t do it at a later age. It just takes a little bit more work.”
Play for as long as you’d like, Phil. We’ll be here enjoying every ridiculous quote and every absurd chip out of the rough. We’re just honored to watch you play.
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.