Phil Mickelson

When it comes to the best golfers to ever play the game, Phil Mickelson’s name usually makes an appearance on the list. Mickelson’s nickname is Lefty due to the fact that he swings left-handed, despite being right-handed. Since 2012 he has been a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. The only major tournament that Mickelson hasn’t won is the U.S. Open. In fact, he has set a record for finishing second place on six different occasions. If you are interested in learning more about Phil Mickelson, keep reading.

Early Life

On June 16, 1970 Phil Mickelson was born in San Diego, California. Mickelson’s father encouraged his young son’s interest in golf. The pair often practiced in the backyard in San Diego. In 1988 Mickelson graduated from the University of San Diego High School and enrolled at Arizona State University. Mickelson’s studies were partially funded by a golf scholarship that he earned. While in school, Mickelson had an extremely successful amateru career. His accomplishments include winning the NCAA championship three times, earning All-American honors four years in a row, and winning the Northern Telecom Open in 1991, a PGA Tour tournament.

Going Pro

Mickelson graduated from Arizona State University in 1992. Since he had won a PGA Tour tournament during the prior year, he didn’t have to participate in the PGA Tour Qualifying Tournament. From 1992 to 2003 Mickelson had a lot of success including beating Tiger Woods at the 2000 Buick Invitational. Mickelson’s win ended Woods’ six-win streak. However, in spite of his success, Mickelson was unable to win a major tournament during this time.

Winning the Majors

That all changed during the 2004 Masters tournament when Mickelson won. Only two other left-handed golfers had won the tournament before Mickelson at that point. Mickelson won his next major during the next year when he played the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol. Then in 2006 he won his third major after winning the Masters for the second time. Unfortunately, Mickelson was unable to win three majors in a row. He played poorly during the 18th hole and sabotaged his chances of winning the tournament. Mickelson’s third Masters win came in 2010. The win was especially emotional for Mickelson and his fans since his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer during the previous year, and his mother was battling cancer at the time.

Today

In late 2016 Mickelson underwent two surgeries for hernias. However, he quickly returned to competition and performed well. During the same year Mickelson hired a new swing coach to help improve his game. Mickelson has seen a lot of success during his career, and as long as he remains healthy, fans can expect him to continue to win.

Originally published at danielcaskey.org on May 29, 2017.