Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson

Born: June 16, 1970
Age: 54
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Biography

Philip Alfred Mickelson (born June 16, 1970) is an American professional golfer. He has won 42 events on the PGA Tour, including five major championships: three Masters titles (2004, 2006, 2010), a PGA Championship (2005), and an Open Championship (2013).

Mickelson is one of 16 golfers in the history of the sport to win at least three of the four professional majors. The only major that has eluded him is the U.S. Open. Mickelson has finished runner-up in the U.S. Open a record six times.

Mickelson has spent over 700 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Ranking, has reached a career-high world ranking of 2nd several times and has a lifetime exemption on the PGA Tour. Mickelson is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in May 2012.

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Early years

Born in San Diego, California, to parents Philip Anthony Mickelson, (an airline pilot and former naval aviator), and Mary Mickelson (née Santos), he was raised there and in Scottsdale, Arizona. Although right-handed otherwise, he plays golf left-handed, as he learned by watching his right-handed father swing and mirroring his style. Mickelson began golf under his father's instruction before starting school. Phil Sr.'s work schedule as a commercial pilot allowed them to play together several times a week and an extensive practice area in their San Diego backyard allowed young Phil to hone his creative short game. Mickelson graduated from the University of San Diego High School in 1988.

College golf

Mickelson attended Arizona State University in Tempe on a golf scholarship and graduated in 1992. During his tenure at ASU, Mickelson became the face of amateur golf in the United States, capturing three NCAA individual championships and three Haskins Awards (1990, 1991, 1992) as the outstanding collegiate golfer. With three individual NCAA championships, Mickelson shares the record for most individual NCAA championships alongside Ben Crenshaw. Mickelson also led the Sun Devils to the NCAA National Championship in 1990. Over the course of his collegiate career, he won 16 tournaments.

Mickelson was the second collegiate golfer to earn first-team All-American honors all four years. In 1990, he also became the first golfer with a left-handed swing to win the U.S. Amateur title. Mickelson secured perhaps his greatest achievement as an amateur in January 1991, winning his first PGA Tour event, the Northern Telecom Open, in Tucson. At age 20, he was only the sixth amateur to win a tour event, and the first in over five years, last by Scott Verplank at the Western Open in August 1985. Other players to accomplish this feat include Doug Sanders, who won the 1956 Canadian Open, and Gene Littler, the winner of the San Diego Open in 1954. To date, no other amateur has won a PGA Tour event since Mickelson's victory at the 1991 Northern Telecom Open.

In 1991, Mickelson was the low amateur at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia.

Professional career

Early professional career

After graduating from ASU in 1992, Mickelson turned professional and bypassed the Tour's qualifying process (Q-School) because of his 1991 win in Tucson, which earned him a two-year exemption. In early 1993, Mickelson hired Jim "Bones" Mackay as his caddy, who remains in that position today. He won many PGA Tour tournaments in this period, including the Byron Nelson Golf Classic and the World Series of Golf in 1996, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 1998, the Colonial National Invitation in 2000 and the Greater Hartford Open in 2001 and again in 2002.

His 2000 Buick Invitational win ended Tiger Woods' streak of six consecutive tournament victories. After the win, Mickelson said, "I didn't want to be the bad guy. I wasn't trying to end the streak per se. I was just trying to win the golf tournament."

Although he had performed very well in the majors up to the end of the 2003 season (17 top-ten finishes, and six second- or third-place finishes between 1999 and 2003), his inability to win any of them lead to him frequently being described as the "best golfer never to win a major".

2004-06: first three professional major wins

Mickelson's first professional major championship win came at the Masters in 2004, where he secured victory with an 18-foot (5.5 m) birdie putt on the final hole. The runner-up, a stroke back, was Ernie Els; playing in different pairs, the two had traded birdies and eagles on the back nine on Sunday. In addition to getting the "majors monkey" off his back, this made him only the third golfer with a left-handed swing to win a major, the others being New Zealander Sir Bob Charles, who won The Open Championship in 1963, and Canadian Mike Weir, who won The Masters in 2003. (Like Mickelson, Weir is a right-hander who plays left-handed.) A fourth left-handed winner of a major is Bubba Watson, the Masters champion in 2012 and 2014. Unlike Mickelson and Weir, Watson is a natural left-hander.

Just prior to the Ryder Cup in 2004, Mickelson was dropped from his long-standing contract with Titleist/Acushnet Golf, when he took heat for a voicemail message he left for a Callaway Golf executive. In it he praised their driver and golf ball, and thanked them for their help in getting some equipment for his brother. This memo was played to all of their salesmen, and eventually found its way back to Titleist. He was then let out of his multi-year deal with Titleist 16 months early, and signed on with Callaway Golf, his current equipment sponsor. He endured a great deal of ridicule and scrutiny from the press and fellow Ryder Cup members for his equipment change so close to the Ryder Cup matches. He faltered at the 2004 Ryder Cup with a 1-3-0 record, but refused to blame the sudden change in equipment or his practice methods for his performance.

In November 2004, Mickelson tallied his career-low for an 18-hole round: a 59 at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Poipu Bay Golf Course in Hawaii.

The following year in a Monday, final-round conclusion forced by weather, Mickelson captured his second professional major at the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol. On the 18th hole, Mickelson hit one of his trademark soft pitches from deep greenside rough to within a foot and a half (0.45 m) of the cup, and made his birdie to finish at a 4-under-par total of 276, one shot ahead of Steve Elkington and Thomas Bjørn.

Mickelson captured his third professional major title the following spring at The Masters in 2006. Mickelson won his second Green Jacket after shooting a 3-under-par final round, winning by two strokes over his nearest rival, Tim Clark. This win propelled him to 2nd place in the Official World Golf Ranking (his career best), behind Woods, and ahead of Vijay Singh and Retief Goosen.

Near-miss at winning the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot

After winning two majors in a row heading into the 2006 U.S. Open at Winged Foot, Mickelson was bidding to join Ben Hogan and Tiger Woods as the only players to win three consecutive professional majors. Mickelson was the joint-leader going into the final round, but he was part of a wild finish to the tournament, in which he ended up in a tie for second place at +6 (286), one shot behind Australian champion Geoff Ogilvy.

On the 71st hole, Mickelson, with the lead at +4, missed the fairway to the left, and his drive finished inside a garbage can, from which he was granted a free drop; he parred the hole, but his bogey on the previous hole reduced his lead to one shot heading to the final hole.

Needing a par on the 72nd hole for a one-shot victory, Mickelson chose to hit a driver off the tee on the final hole, and hit it well left of the fairway (he had only hit two of thirteen fairways previously in the round). The ball bounced off a corporate hospitality tent and settled in an area of trampled-down grass that was enclosed with trees. He decided to go for the green with his second shot, rather than play it safe and pitch out into the fairway. His ball then hit a tree, and did not advance more than 50 yards (46 m). His next shot plugged into the left greenside bunker. He was unable to get up and down from there, resulting in a double bogey, and costing him a chance of winning the championship outright or getting into a playoff with Ogilvy.

After his final round, Mickelson said: "I'm still in shock. I still can't believe I did that. This one hurts more than any tournament because I had it won. Congratulations to Geoff Ogilvy on some great play. I want to thank all the people that supported me. The only thing I can say is I'm sorry." He was even more candid when he said: "I just can't believe I did that. I'm such an idiot."

2006-08

During the third round of the 2006 Ford Championship at Doral, Mickelson gave a spectator $200 after his wayward tee shot at the par-5 10th broke the man's watch.

Mickelson also has shown other signs of appreciation. In 2007 after hearing the story of retired NFL player, Conrad Dobler, and his family on ESPN explaining their struggles to pay medical bills, Mickelson volunteered to pay tuition for Holli Dobler, Conrad Dobler's daughter, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Frustrated with his driving accuracy, Mickelson made the decision in April 2007 to leave longtime swing coach, Rick Smith. He then began working with Butch Harmon, a former coach of Greg Norman and Tiger Woods. On May 13, 2007, Mickelson came from a stroke back on the final round to shoot a three-under 69 to win The Players Championship with an 11-under-par 277. This Mother's Day win was his first without his wife and children present.

In the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont, after shooting 11 over par after 2 rounds, Mickelson missed the cut (by a stroke) for the first time in 31 majors, since The Open Championship in 1999 at Carnoustie. He had been hampered by a wrist injury that was incurred while practicing in the thick rough at Oakmont a few weeks before the tournament.

On September 3, 2007, Mickelson won the Deutsche Bank Championship which is the second FedEx Cup playoff event. On the final day, he was paired with Tiger Woods, who ended up finishing two strokes behind Mickelson in a tie for second. It was the first time Mickelson was able to beat Woods while paired together on the final day of a tournament. The next day Mickelson announced that he would not be competing in the third FedEx Cup playoff event. The day before his withdrawal, Mickelson said during a television interview that PGA Tour Commissioner, Tim Finchem, had not responded to advice he had given him on undisclosed issues.

In 2008, Mickelson won the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial with a −14, one shot ahead of Tim Clark and Rod Pampling. Mickelson shot a first-round 65 to start off the tournament at −5. He ended the day tied with Brett Wetterich, two shots behind leader, Johnson Wagner. Mickelson shot a second round 68, and the third round 65, overall, being −12 for the first three rounds. On the final hole, after an absolutely horrendous tee shot, he was in thick rough with trees in his way. Many players would have punched out, and taken their chances at making par from the fairway with a good wedge shot. Instead, he pulled out a high-lofted wedge and hit his approach shot over a tree, landing on the green where he one-putted for the win.

In a Men's Vogue article, Mickelson recounted his effort to lose 20 pounds with the help of trainer Sean Cochran. "Once the younger players started to come on tour, he realized that he had to start working out to maintain longevity in his career," Cochran said. Mickelson's regimen consisted of increasing flexibility and power, eating five smaller meals a day, aerobic training, and carrying his own golf bag.

Mickelson was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 2008.

2009

Mickelson won for the first time in 2009 by defending his title at the Northern Trust Open at Riviera Country Club. He finished one stroke ahead of Steve Stricker. It was Mickelson's 35th win on tour; he surpassed Vijay Singh for second place on the current PGA Tour wins list. A month later, he won his 36th title on the tour, and his first World Golf Championship, at the 2009 WGC-CA Championship with a one- stroke win over Nick Watney.

On May 20, 2009, it was announced that Mickelson's wife, Amy, was diagnosed with breast cancer, and Mickelson announced he would suspend his PGA Tour schedule indefinitely. She would begin treatment with major surgery as early as the following two weeks. Mickelson was scheduled to play the HP Byron Nelson Championship May 21-24, and to defend his title May 28-31 at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, but withdrew from both events. During the final round of the 2009 BMW PGA Championship, fellow golfer and family friend John Daly wore bright pink trousers in support of Mickelson's wife. Also, the next Saturday, at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, a "Pink Out" event was hosted, and the PGA Tour players all wore pink that day, to support the Mickelson family.

On May 31, Mickelson announced that he would return to play on the PGA Tour in June at the St. Jude Classic and the U.S. Open, since he had heard from the doctors treating his wife that her cancer had been detected in an early stage. Mickelson shot a final round 70 at the 2009 U.S. Open and recorded his fifth runner-up finish at the U.S. Open. He shared the lead after an eagle at the 13th hole, but fell back with bogeys on 15 and 17; Lucas Glover captured the championship.

On July 6, 2009, it was announced that his mother, Mary Mickelson, was diagnosed with breast cancer and would have surgery at the same hospital where his wife was treated. After hearing the news of his mother now being diagnosed with breast cancer, Mickelson took another leave of absence from the Tour, missing The Open Championship at Turnberry. On July 28, Mickelson announced he would return to the PGA Tour in August at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, the week before the PGA Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.

In September, Mickelson won The Tour Championship for the second time in his career. He entered the final round four strokes off the lead, but shot a final round 65 to win the event by three strokes over Tiger Woods. With the win, Mickelson finished the season second behind Woods in the 2009 FedEx Cup standings.

On November 8, 2009, Mickelson won the WGC-HSBC Champions by one shot over Ernie Els in Shanghai.

2010: third Masters win

On April 11, 2010, Mickelson won the 2010 Masters Tournament with a 16-under-par performance, giving him a three-stroke win over Lee Westwood in Augusta, Georgia. The win marked the third Masters victory for Mickelson and his fourth professional major championship overall. Critical to Mickelson's win was a dramatic run in the third round on Saturday in which Mickelson, trailing leader Westwood by five strokes as he prepared his approach shot to the 13th green, proceeded to make eagle, then to hole-out for eagle from 141 yards at the next hole, the par 4 14th, then on the next, the par 5 15th, to miss eagle from 81 yards by mere inches. After tapping in for birdie at 15, Mickelson, at −12, led Westwood, at −11, who had bogeyed hole 12 and failed to capitalize on the par 5 13th, settling for par.

Westwood did recapture the one-stroke lead by round's end, but the momentum carried forward for Mickelson into round 4, where he posted a bogey-free 67 to Westwood's 71, and no other pursuer was able to keep pace to the end, though K. J. Choi and Anthony Kim made notable charges. For good measure, Mickelson birdied the final hole and memorably greeted his waiting wife, Amy, with a prolonged hug and kiss.

For many fans, this finish to the tournament was especially poignant, given Amy's suffering from breast cancer for the preceding year; Mary Mickelson, Phil's mother, was also dealing with cancer. CBS Sports announcer Jim Nantz's call of the final birdie putt, "That's a win for the family," was seen by many as capturing the moment well.

Thanks to the dramatic return of Tiger Woods to competitive play after a scandal-ridden 20-week absence, to his close contention throughout for the lead (he finished tied with Choi for 4th at −11), and to Mickelson and others' memorably exciting play over the weekend, the 2010 Masters showed strong television ratings in the United States, ranking third all-time to Woods's historic wins in 1997 and 2001. Mickelson's win left him second only to Woods in major championships among his competitive contemporaries, moving him ahead of Ernie Els, Vijay Singh and Pádraig Harrington, with three major championships each and each, like Mickelson, with dozens of worldwide wins.

Remainder of 2010

Mickelson, one of the favorites for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, shot 74 and 66 on Thursday and Friday to sit a shot off the lead. However, two weekend scores of 73 gave him a T4 finish. During the remainder of the 2010 season, Mickelson had multiple opportunities to become the number one player in the Official World Golf Ranking following the travails of Tiger Woods. However, a string of disappointing finishes by Mickelson saw the number one spot eventually go to Englishman Lee Westwood.

In the days leading up to the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits (located near Mosel, Sheboygan County, at Haven, Wisconsin), Mickelson announced he had been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. He added that he had started medical treatment, and had become a vegetarian in hopes of aiding his recovery. He maintains that both his short- and long-term prognosis are good, that the condition should have no long-term effect on his golfing career, and that he currently feels well. He also stated that the arthritis may go into permanent remission after one year of medical treatment. He went on to finish the championship T12, five shots back of victor Martin Kaymer.

2011

Mickelson started his season at the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines Golf Course. He shot 3 rounds of 67-69-68 and was tied for the 54 hole lead with Bill Haas. Mickelson needed to hole out on the 18th hole for eagle from 74 yards to force a playoff with Bubba Watson. He hit it to 4 feet and Watson won the tournament.

On April 3, 2011, Mickelson won the Shell Houston Open with a 20-under-par, three-stroke win over Scott Verplank. Mickelson rose to No. 3 in the world ranking, while Tiger Woods fell to No. 7. Mickelson had not been ranked above Woods since the week prior to the 1997 Masters Tournament.

At the 2011 Open Championship, Mickelson recorded just his second top-ten finish in 18 tournaments by tying for second with Dustin Johnson. His front nine 30 put him briefly in a tie for the lead with eventual champion Darren Clarke. However, some putting problems caused him to fade from contention toward the end, to finish in a tie for second place.

2012

Mickelson made his debut for the year at the Humana Challenge and finished tied for 49th. He missed the cut at the Farmers Insurance Open after shooting rounds of 77 and 68. In the final round of the 2012 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Mickelson rallied from six shots back, winning the tournament by two strokes with a final round score of 8-under 64 and a four round total of 269. The win marked his 40th career victory on the PGA Tour. The following week at Riviera Country Club, Mickelson lost the Northern Trust Open in a three-way playoff. He had held the lead or a share of it from day one until the back nine on Sunday when Bill Haas posted the clubhouse lead at seven under par. Mickelson holed a 27-foot birdie putt on the final regulation hole to force a playoff alongside Haas and Keegan Bradley. Haas however won the playoff with a 40-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole. The second-place finish moved Mickelson back into the world's top 10.

Mickelson finished tied for third at the 2012 Masters Tournament. After opening the tournament with a two-over-par 74, he shot 68-66 in the next two rounds and ended up one behind the leader Peter Hanson by the Saturday night. Mickelson had a poor start to his fourth round, scoring a triple-bogey when he hit his ball far to the left of the green on the par-3 4th hole, hitting the stand and landing in a bamboo plant. This ended up being Mickelson's only score over par in the whole round, and he ended with a score of eight-under overall. Earlier in the tournament he had received widespread praise for being present to watch Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player hit the ceremonial opening tee-shots, nearly seven hours before Mickelson's own tee time.

Mickelson made a charge during the final round at the HP Byron Nelson Championship, but bogeyed the 17th and 18th, finishing T-7th. He then withdrew from the Memorial Tournament, citing mental fatigue, after a first round 79. He was to be paired with Tiger Woods and Bubba Watson at the U.S. Open. He fought to make the cut in the U.S. Open, and finished T-65th. After taking a couple of weeks off, he played the Greenbrier Classic. Putting problems meant a second straight missed cut at the Greenbrier and a third missed cut at The Open Championship, shooting 73-78 (11 over par). He finished T-43rd at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. He then finished T-36th at the PGA Championship.

To start the 2012 FedEx Cup Playoffs, Mickelson finished T38 at The Barclays, +1 for the tournament. He tied with Tiger Woods, Zach Johnson, and five other players. In this tournament, he started using the claw putting grip on the greens. At the next event, the Deutsche Bank Championship, he finished the tournament with a −14, tied for 4th with Dustin Johnson. At the BMW Championship, Mickelson posted a −16 for the first three rounds, one of those rounds being a −8, 64. On the final day, Mickelson shot a −2, 70, to finish tied for 2nd, with Lee Westwood, two shots behind leader, and back-to-back winner, Rory McIlroy. At the Tour Championship, he ended up finishing tied for 15th. He went on to have a 3-1 record at the Ryder Cup; however, the USA team lost the event.

2013

Mickelson began the 2013 season by playing in the Humana Challenge in January, where he finished T37 at −17. His next event was the following week in his home event near San Diego at the Farmers Insurance Open. Mickelson endured a disappointing tournament, finishing T51, shooting all four rounds in the 70's.

In the first round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Mickelson tied his career low round of 60. He made seven birdies in his first nine holes and needed a birdie on the 18th hole to equal the PGA Tour record of 59. However, his 25-foot birdie putt on the final hole lipped out, resulting in him missing out by a single shot on making only the sixth round of 59 in PGA Tour history. Mickelson led the tournament wire-to-wire and completed a four shot win over Brandt Snedeker for his 41st PGA Tour victory and 3rd Phoenix Open title. Mickelson's score of 28-under-par tied Mark Calcavecchia's tournament scoring record. He also moved back inside the world's top 10 after falling down as far as number 22.

Near-miss at 2013 U.S. Open

At the 2013 U.S. Open, Mickelson entered the final round leading by one stroke after rounds of 67-72-70 (−1) over the first three days, but he started the final round poorly, three putting the 3rd and 5th holes for double-bogeys to fall out of the lead. He regained the lead at the 10th, when he holed his second shot from the rough for an unlikely eagle two. However a misjudgment at the short par three 13th, saw him fly the green and make a bogey to slip one behind leader Justin Rose. Another bogey followed at the 15th, before narrowly missing a birdie putt on the 16th that would have tied Rose. Mickelson could not find a birdie at the 17th and after a blocked drive on the 18th, could not hole his pitch from short of the green which led to a final bogey.

Mickelson ended up finishing tied for second with Jason Day, two strokes behind Justin Rose. It was the sixth runner-up finish of Mickelson's career at the U.S. Open, an event record and only behind Jack Nicklaus's seven runner-up finishes at The Open Championship. After the event, Mickelson called the loss heartbreaking and said "this is tough to swallow after coming so close ... I felt like this was as good an opportunity I could ask for and to not get it ... it hurts." It was also Father's Day, which happened to be his birthday.

Fifth professional major title at the 2013 Open Championship

The week before the 2013 Open Championship, Mickelson warmed up for the event by winning his first tournament on British soil at the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open on July 14, after a sudden-death playoff against Branden Grace. After his Scottish Open victory, Mickelson spoke of his confidence ahead of his participation in the following week's major championship. Mickelson said: "I've never felt more excited going into The Open. I don't think there's a better way to get ready for a major than playing well the week before and getting into contention. Coming out on top just gives me more confidence."

The following week, on July 21, Mickelson won his fifth professional major title at the Open Championship (often referred to as the British Open) at Muirfield Golf Links in Scotland, the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. This is the first time in history that anyone has won both the Scottish Open and The Open Championship in the same year. Mickelson birdied four of the last six holes in a brilliant final round of 66 to win the title by three strokes. He shed tears on the final green after completing his round. Mickelson later said: "I played arguably the best round of my career, and shot the round of my life. The range of emotions I feel are as far apart as possible after losing the U.S. Open. But you have to be resilient in this game." In an interview before the 2015 Open, Mickelson said, "Two years removed from that win, I still can't believe how much it means to me."

2014 and 2015: inconsistent form and close calls in majors

Mickelson struggled in 2014, missing the cut at the Masters for the first time since 1997. He failed to contend at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst in his first bid to complete the career grand slam. Mickelson's lone top-10 of the PGA Tour season came at the year's final major, the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club. Mickelson shot rounds of 69-67-67-66 to finish solo second, one shot behind world number one Rory McIlroy.

Prior to the 2015 Masters, Mickelson's best finish in 2015 was a tie for 17th. At the 2015 Masters, Mickelson shot rounds of 70-68-67-69 to finish tied for second with Justin Rose, four shots behind champion Jordan Spieth. The second-place finish was Mickelson's 10th such finish in a major, placing him second all time only to Jack Nicklaus in that regard.

At the Open Championship Mickelson shot rounds of 70-72-70 to enter the final round eight shots behind outside the top 40. In the final round Mickelson birdied the 15th hole to move to 10 under and within two of the lead. After a missed 10 foot birdie putt on 16, Mickelson hit his drive on the infamous road hole 17th at the famed Old Course at St Andrews onto a 2nd floor balcony of the Old Course Hotel. The out of bounds drive lead to a triple bogey 7 that sent Mickelson tumbling out of contention.

Later in the year, it was announced that Mickelson would leave longtime swing coach Butch Harmon, feeling as though he needed to hear a new perspective on things.

2016: new swing coach

After leaving Butch Harmon, Mickelson hired Andrew Getson of Greyhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, to serve as his new swing coach. The two worked together heavily in the 2015 offseason to get Mickelson's swing back.

Mickelson made his 2016 debut, under Getson's guidance, at the 2016 CareerBuilder Challenge. Mickelson shot rounds of 68-65-66-68 to finish in a tie for third place at 21-under-par. It was only Mickelson's fifth top-five finish since his win at the 2013 Open Championship. The third place finish was Mickelson's highest finish in his first worldwide start of a calendar year since he won the same event to begin the 2004 season.

At the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Mickelson shot rounds of 68-65-66-72 to finish in solo second place, one shot behind winner Vaughn Taylor. Mickelson lipped out a five-foot birdie putt to force a playoff on the 72nd hole. Mickelson entered the final round with a two stroke lead, his first 54-hole lead since the 2013 U.S. Open and was seeking to end a winless drought dating back 52 worldwide events to the 2013 Open Championship.

Personal life

As of 2015, Forbes estimated that Mickelson's annual income at $51 million.

Playing style

As a professional competitor, Mickelson's playing style is described by many as "aggressive" and highly social. His strategy toward difficult shots (bad lies, obstructions) would tend to be considered risky.

Mickelson has also been characterized by his powerful and sometimes inaccurate driver, but his excellent short game draws the most positive reviews, most of all his daring "Phil flop" shot in which a big swing with a high-lofted wedge against a tight lie flies a ball high into the air for a short distance.

Mickelson is usually in the top 10 in scoring, and he led the PGA Tour in birdie average as recently as 2013. His playing style wins 8% of his Tour starts, along with top 25s in well over half and top 10s in a third.

Earnings and endorsements

Although ranked second on the PGA Tour's all-time money list of tournament prize money won, Mickelson earns far more from endorsements than from prize money. According to one estimate of 2011 earnings (comprising salary, winnings, bonuses, endorsements and appearances) Mickelson was then the second-highest paid athlete in the United States, earning an income of over $62 million, $53 million of which came from endorsements. Major companies which Mickelson currently endorses are KPMG, ExxonMobil (Mickelson and wife Amy started a teacher sponsorship fund with the company), Rolex, Barclays, and Callaway Golf. He has been previously sponsored by Titleist, Bearing Point and Ford. After being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis in 2010, Mickelson was treated with Enbrel and began endorsing the drug.

Alleged insider trading

On May 30, 2014, The Wall Street Journal reported that the FBI and SEC were investigating Mickelson and associates of his for insider trading in Clorox stock. Mickelson denied any wrongdoing, and the investigation found ″no evidence″ and concluded without any charges. On May 19, 2016, Mikelson was named as a relief defendant in another U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") complaint alleging insider trading but completely avoided criminal charges in a parallel case brought in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York. The action stems for trades in Dean Foods in 2012 in conjunction with confidential information provided by Thomas Davis, a former director of Dean Foods Company, who allegedly tipped his friend and “professional sports bettor” Billy Walters. The SEC did not allege that Walters actually told Mickelson of any material, nonpublic information about Dean Foods, and the SEC disgorged Mikelson of the $931,000 profit made from Dean Foods stock and to pay prejudgment interest of $105,000.

Amateur wins (8)

  • 1980 Junior World Golf Championships (Boys 9-10)
  • 1989 NCAA Division I Championship
  • 1990 Pac-10 Championship, NCAA Division I Championship, U.S. Amateur, Porter Cup
  • 1991 Western Amateur
  • 1992 NCAA Division I Championship

Professional wins (51)

PGA Tour wins (42)

Legend
Major championships (5)
World Golf Championships (1)
FedEx Cup Events (2)
Other PGA Tour (34)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Jan 13, 1991 Northern Telecom Open
(as an amateur)
−16 (65-71-65-71=272) 1 stroke Tom Purtzer, Bob Tway
2 Feb 21, 1993 Buick Invitational of California −10 (75-69-69-65=278) 4 strokes Dave Rummells
3 Aug 22, 1993 The International 45 pts. (11-7-11-16 = 45) 8 points Mark Calcavecchia
4 Jan 9, 1994 Mercedes Championships −12 (70-68-70-68=276) Playoff Fred Couples
5 Jan 22, 1995 Northern Telecom Open −19 (65-66-70-68=269) 1 stroke Jim Gallagher, Jr., Scott Simpson
6 Jan 14, 1996 Nortel Open −14 (69-66-71-67=273) 2 strokes Bob Tway
7 Jan 27, 1996 Phoenix Open −15 (69-67-66-67=269) Playoff Justin Leonard
8 May 12, 1996 GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic −15 (67-65-67-66=265) 2 strokes Craig Parry
9 Aug 25, 1996 NEC World Series of Golf −6 (70-66-68-70=274) 3 strokes Billy Mayfair, Steve Stricker,
Duffy Waldorf
10 Mar 23, 1997 Bay Hill Invitational −16 (72-65-70-65=272) 3 strokes Stuart Appleby
11 Aug 3, 1997 Sprint International 48 pts. (14-13-12-9 = 48) 7 points Stuart Appleby
12 Jan 11, 1998 Mercedes Championships −17 (68-67-68-68=271) 1 stroke Mark O'Meara, Tiger Woods
13 Aug 17, 1998 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am −14 (65-70-67=202) 1 stroke Tom Pernice, Jr.
14 Feb 13, 2000 Buick Invitational −18 (66-67-67-70=270) 4 strokes Shigeki Maruyama, Tiger Woods
15 Apr 2, 2000 BellSouth Classic −11 (67-69-69=205) Playoff Gary Nicklaus
16 May 21, 2000 MasterCard Colonial −12 (67-68-70-63=268) 2 strokes Stewart Cink, Davis Love III
17 Nov 5, 2000 The Tour Championship −13 (67-69-65-66=267) 2 strokes Tiger Woods
18 Feb 11, 2001 Buick Invitational −19 (68-64-71-66=269) Playoff Frank Lickliter, Davis Love III
19 Jul 1, 2001 Canon Greater Hartford Open −16 (67-68-61-68=264) 1 stroke Billy Andrade
20 Jan 20, 2002 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic −30 (64-67-70-65-64=330) Playoff David Berganio, Jr.
21 Jun 23, 2002 Canon Greater Hartford Open −14 (69-67-66-64=264) 1 stroke Jonathan Kaye, Davis Love III
22 Jan 25, 2004 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic −30 (68-63-64-67-68=330) Playoff Skip Kendall
23 Apr 11, 2004 Masters Tournament −9 (72-69-69-69=279) 1 stroke Ernie Els
24 Feb 6, 2005 FBR Open −17 (73-60-66-68=267) 5 strokes Scott McCarron, Kevin Na
25 Feb 13, 2005 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am −19 (62-67-67-73=269) 4 strokes Mike Weir
26 Apr 4, 2005 BellSouth Classic −8 (74-65-69=208) Playoff Arjun Atwal, Rich Beem,
Brandt Jobe, José María Olazábal
27 Aug 15, 2005 PGA Championship −4 (67-65-72-72=276) 1 stroke Thomas Bjørn, Steve Elkington
28 Apr 2, 2006 BellSouth Classic −28 (63-65-67-65=260) 13 strokes Zach Johnson, José María Olazábal
29 Apr 9, 2006 Masters Tournament −7 (70-72-70-69=281) 2 strokes Tim Clark
30 Feb 11, 2007 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am −20 (65-67-70-66=268) 5 strokes Kevin Sutherland
31 May 13, 2007 The Players Championship −11 (67-72-69-69=277) 2 strokes Sergio García
32 Sep 3, 2007 Deutsche Bank Championship −16 (70-64-68-66=268) 2 strokes Arron Oberholser, Brett Wetterich,
Tiger Woods
33 Feb 17, 2008 Northern Trust Open −12 (68-64-70-70=272) 2 strokes Jeff Quinney
34 May 25, 2008 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial −14 (65-68-65-68=266) 1 stroke Tim Clark, Rod Pampling
35 Feb 22, 2009 Northern Trust Open −15 (63-72-62-72=269) 1 stroke Steve Stricker
36 Mar 15, 2009 WGC-CA Championship −19 (65-66-69-69=269) 1 stroke Nick Watney
37 Sep 27, 2009 The Tour Championship −9 (73-67-66-65=271) 3 strokes Tiger Woods
38 Apr 11, 2010 Masters Tournament −16 (67-71-67-67=272) 3 strokes Lee Westwood
39 Apr 3, 2011 Shell Houston Open −20 (70-70-63-65=268) 3 strokes Chris Kirk, Scott Verplank
40 Feb 12, 2012 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am −17 (70-65-70-64=269) 2 strokes Charlie Wi
41 Feb 3, 2013 Waste Management Phoenix Open −28 (60-65-64-67=256) 4 strokes Brandt Snedeker
42 Jul 21, 2013 The Open Championship −3 (69-74-72-66=281) 3 strokes Henrik Stenson

PGA Tour playoff record (7-4)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 1994 Mercedes Championships Fred Couples Won with par on second extra hole
2 1996 Phoenix Open Justin Leonard Won with birdie on third extra hole
3 2000 BellSouth Classic Gary Nicklaus Won with birdie on first extra hole
4 2000 GTE Byron Nelson Classic Davis Love III, Jesper Parnevik Parnevik won with par on third extra hole
Mickelson eliminated with birdie on second hole
5 2001 Buick Invitational Frank Lickliter, Davis Love III Won with double bogey on third extra hole
Love eliminated with par on second hole
6 2002 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic David Berganio, Jr. Won with birdie on first extra hole
7 2004 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic Skip Kendall Won with birdie on first extra hole
8 2005 BellSouth Classic Arjun Atwal, Rich Beem,
Brandt Jobe, José María Olazábal
Won with birdie on fourth extra hole
Olazábal eliminated with par on third hole
Atwal and Jobe eliminated with par on first hole
9 2007 Nissan Open Charles Howell III Lost to par on third extra hole
10 2008 FBR Open J. B. Holmes Lost to birdie on first extra hole
11 2012 Northern Trust Open Keegan Bradley, Bill Haas Haas won with birdie on second extra hole

European Tour wins (9)

Legend
Major championships (5)
World Golf Championships (2)
Other European Tour (2)
No. Date Tournament Winning score Margin of
victory
Runner(s)-up
1 Apr 11, 2004 Masters Tournament −9 (72-69-69-69=279) 1 stroke Ernie Els
2 Aug 15, 2005 PGA Championship −4 (67-65-72-72=276) 1 stroke Thomas Bjørn, Steve Elkington
3 Apr 9, 2006 Masters Tournament −7 (70-72-70-69=281) 2 strokes Tim Clark
4 Nov 11, 2007 HSBC Champions1 −10 (68-66-68-76=278) Playoff Lee Westwood, Ross Fisher
5 Mar 15, 2009 WGC-CA Championship −19 (65-66-69-69=269) 1 stroke Nick Watney
6 Nov 8, 2009 WGC-HSBC Champions2 −17 (69-66-67-69=271) 1 stroke Ernie Els
7 Apr 11, 2010 Masters Tournament −16 (67-71-67-67=272) 3 strokes Lee Westwood
8 Jul 14, 2013 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open −17 (66-70-66-69=271) Playoff Branden Grace
9 Jul 21, 2013 The Open Championship −3 (69-74-72-66=281) 3 strokes Henrik Stenson

1 Co-sanctioned with Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour and PGA Tour of Australasia
2 Official event on European Tour, co-sanctioned by PGA Tour, Asian Tour, Sunshine Tour & PGA Tour of Australasia, but not an official PGA Tour event

European Tour playoff record (2-1)

No. Year Tournament Opponent(s) Result
1 2007 Scottish Open Gregory Havret Lost to par on first extra hole
2 2007 HSBC Champions Ross Fisher, Lee Westwood Won with birdie on second extra hole
3 2013 Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open Branden Grace Won with birdie on first extra hole

Challenge Tour wins (1)

  • 1993 Tournoi Perrier de Paris

Other wins (5)

  • 1997 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Fred Couples and Tom Lehman)
  • 2000 Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge (with Notah Begay III and Rocco Mediate)
  • 2001 Tylenol Par-3 Shootout at Treetops Resort
  • 2004 TELUS Skins Game, PGA Grand Slam of Golf

Major championships

Wins (5)

Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner(s)-up
2004 Masters Tournament Tied for lead −9 (72-69-69-69=279) 1 stroke Ernie Els
2005 PGA Championship Tied for lead −4 (67-65-72-72=276) 1 stroke Thomas Bjørn, Steve Elkington
2006 Masters Tournament 1 shot lead −7 (70-72-70-69=281) 2 strokes Tim Clark
2010 Masters Tournament 1 shot deficit −16 (67-71-67-67=272) 3 strokes Lee Westwood
2013 The Open Championship 5 shot deficit −3 (69-74-72-66=281) 3 strokes Henrik Stenson

Results timeline

Tournament 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999
Masters Tournament DNP T46LA DNP T34 DNP T7 3 CUT T12 T6
U.S. Open T29LA T55LA CUT DNP T47 T4 T94 T43 T10 2
The Open Championship DNP T73 DNP DNP CUT T40 T41 T24 79 CUT
PGA Championship DNP DNP DNP T6 3 CUT T8 T29 T34 T57
Tournament 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Masters Tournament T7 3 3 3 1 10 1 T24 T5 5
U.S. Open T16 T7 2 T55 2 T33 T2 CUT T18 T2
The Open Championship T11 T30 T66 T59 3 T60 T22 CUT T19 DNP
PGA Championship T9 2 T34 T23 T6 1 T16 T32 T7 73
Tournament 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Masters Tournament 1 T27 T3 T54 CUT T2 CUT
U.S. Open T4 T54 T65 T2 T28 T64
The Open Championship T48 T2 CUT 1 T23 T20
PGA Championship T12 T19 T36 T72 2 T18

LA = Low amateur
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 3 1 5 11 15 17 24 21
U.S. Open 0 6 0 8 10 12 25 23
The Open Championship 1 1 1 3 3 9 22 18
PGA Championship 1 2 1 4 9 14 23 22
Totals 5 10 7 26 37 52 94 84
  • Most consecutive cuts made - 30 (1999 PGA - 2007 Masters)
  • Longest streak of top-10s - 5 (2004 Masters - 2005 Masters)

World Golf Championships

Wins (2)

Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin of victory Runner-up
2009 WGC-CA Championship Tied for lead −19 (65-66-69-69=269) 1 stroke Nick Watney
2009 WGC-HSBC Champions 2 shot lead −17 (69-66-67-69=271) 1 stroke Ernie Els

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order prior to 2015.

Tournament 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Cadillac Championship T40 DNP NT1 T23 T38 DNP T29 DNP T23 T20
Dell Match Play R16 R64 DNP R64 R16 QF R16 R16 R32 R32
Bridgestone Invitational 2 T4 T8 T9 T23 T43 T51 T54 T46 T4
Tournament 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Cadillac Championship 1 T14 T55 T43 T3 T16 T31 5
Dell Match Play R16 DNP R32 DNP DNP DNP DNP T18
Bridgestone Invitational T58 T46 T48 T43 T21 T15 T63
HSBC Champions 1 T41 DNP T2 14 DNP DNP

1Cancelled due to 9/11
The HSBC Champions did not become a WGC event until 2009 (it is not an official money PGA Tour event). Mickelson won the event in 2007, before it became part of the WGC schedule.
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
NT = No Tournament
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

PGA Tour career summary

Season Wins (Majors) Earnings ($) Rank
1991 1 0† N/A
1992 0 171,714 90
1993 2 628,735 22
1994 1 748,316 15
1995 1 655,777 28
1996 4 1,697,799 2
1997 2 1,225,390 11
1998 2 1,837,246 6
1999 0 1,722,681 14
2000 4 4,746,457 2
2001 2 4,403,833 2
2002 2 4,311,971 2
2003 0 1,623,137 38
2004 2 (1) 5,784,823 3
2005 4 (1) 5,699,605 3
2006 2 (1) 4,256,505 6
2007 3 5,819,988 2
2008 2 5,118,875 3
2009 3 5,332,755 3
2010 1 (1) 3,821,733 6
2011 1 3,763,488 12
2012 1 4,203,821 8
2013 2 (1) 5,495,793 4
2014 0 2,158,019 38
2015 0 2,154,200 38
Career* 42 (5) $77,452,710 2

* As of the 2014-15 season.

† Mickelson won as an amateur in 1991 and therefore did not receive any prize money.

U.S. national team appearances

Amateur

  • Walker Cup: 1989, 1991 (winners)
  • Eisenhower Trophy: 1990

Professional

  • Presidents Cup: 1994 (winners), 1996 (winners), 1998, 2000 (winners), 2003 (tie), 2005 (winners), 2007 (winners), 2009 (winners), 2011 (winners), 2013 (winners), 2015 (winners)
  • Ryder Cup: 1995, 1997, 1999 (winners), 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008 (winners), 2010, 2012, 2014
  • Alfred Dunhill Cup: 1996 (winners)
  • World Cup: 2002

Equipment

Equipment is accurate as of the 2016 Masters Tournament (April 7, 2016)

  • Driver: Callaway XR 16 Sub Zero (8.5 degrees)
  • 3-wood: Callaway X Hot Pro 3Deep (13 degrees)
  • Hybrid: Callaway Apex (18 degrees)
  • Irons: Callaway Apex UT (3 iron), Callaway Apex Pro '16 (5-PW)
  • Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy PM Grind (56-13, 60-10, 64-10)
  • Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG PM 18
  • Ball: Callaway Chrome Soft (2016)

Note: Mickelson often changes his 3-wood with a Callaway Big Bertha Alpha 816 (14 degrees), and his putter with an Odyssey Metal X Milled #9

[ Source: Wikipedia ]


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