Phil Mickelson’s career has been built on making the ridiculous look routine, which is why the sport has perhaps not fully appreciated what he pulled off in May at the PGA Championship. Yes, that weekend at Kiawah’s Ocean Course was surreal, Phil fighting off Father Time and the world’s best to become the oldest major champion in the history of golf, culminating in the indelible scene of the crowd swallowing Phil on the final hole. Yet, somehow, it’s a moment we’ve arguably not savored enough, a byproduct of both shorter attention spans and golf’s supersized 2020-’21 season.
But Mickelson? Oh, you better believe he knows how good that moment was. And he’s not afraid to remind us, either.
Playing on the Champions Tour this week at the Dominion Energy Charity Classic, cameras captured a fan telling Phil he was playing the Ocean Course tomorrow and asking for advice. Phil responded with this sage wisdom:
“Ah, it’s not that hard.”
That, my friends, is FIGJAM at his finest.
Clearly Mickelson is enjoying his Wanamaker victory lap, and will be looking for his fourth Champions title in his fifth career start. Nevertheless, Mickelson continues to say his visits to the Senior Circuit are just that, visits, as his focus is still on the PGA Tour.
“I think there’s a lot of validity to what you’re saying, but it’s not where I’m at yet,” Mickelson said when asked if his Champions ventures are giving him a second wind. “I’m using this as an opportunity to have fun, to be around people that I know, guys that I know. I’m using it as a chance to be competitive but in an environment that doesn’t beat you up.”
It’s worth noting Mickelson turns 52 next summer, an age where most players have waved bye-bye to the big boy league long before. But, as he continues to prove, Mickelson is a man unto himself.