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Old Guys Rule on a Late May Day
Phil Mickelson, at the age of 50, beat a crowd of younger players on a ocean-side wind-swept PGA Championship course this Sunday. Mickelson’s last major championship was the 2013 British Open. That was his fifth major championship. Now, Phil Mickelson has joined the elite 13 golfers with six major championships in the entire history of the PGA. And. Phil Mickelson has won one for the old guys, blowing away the next oldest winner by two years. The three oldest major PGA championship winners were:
Julius Boros 1968 PGA Championship 48 years, 4 months, 18 days Tom Morris Sr. 1867 The Open Championship 46 years, 3 months, 10 days Jack Nicklaus 1986 Masters Tournament 46 years, 2 months, 23 days
Mickelson has consistently played professional tour-level golf for the past quarter-century. Yet, his time as a champion seemed long past. Now, Phil has done what a 53-year-old Greg Norman, leading the 2008 British Open field on Sunday morning, could not do. Phil Mickelson won with the roar of the crowd in his ears, protected by tournament staff from being mobbed by golf fans on the last two holes. No, the crowd in South Carolina was not muzzled with face diapers, and this group of Americans was not showing any sign of signifying obedience to the evil Dr. Fraudci.
Published in SportsAt age 50, Phil Mickelson became the oldest player to win a major, holding on for a two-shot victory in the PGA Championship at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island on Sunday.
With raucous fans rocking the 18th hole, Mickelson withstood a bumpy ride in the final round, finishing with an 1-over 73 to get to 6 under to win the sixth major championship of his career. At 50 years, 11 months and 7 days old, Mickelson broke the record for oldest to win a major that was held by Julius Boros (48 years, 4 months and 18 days when he won the 1968 PGA Championship).
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Way to go, Phil! Woo-hoo!
Yay!! [he has a worse case of psoriatic arthritis than I do] Thank, in part, the American pharmaceutical industry for supplying the biologic medication he takes for it.
Just to add to the list of old guys who had a chance to win a major I will note that Tom Watson led the tournament going into the fourth round of the 2009 British Open and was poised to win with an eight-foot par putt on the 18th hole which he missed. He subsequently lost the playoff to Stewart Cink.
But you know if it was the U.S. Open he would have finished 2nd.
Well done Phil. He won his first PGA tournament while still an amateur at Arizona State and now a major win at 50. Quite a long and very successful career. As a side note, major props to ASU golf, 2 other Sun Devils finished in the top ten.
Geezer power!
The only blemish was the lack of respect the crowd gave to Phil’s playing partner. Brook Koepka, who was not out of the tournament until both players reached the green on 18. Nonetheless, the crowd physically overwhelmed Brooks and his caddy as they attempted to walk to the 18th green after his second shot. Other than that bit of misfortune, it was a glorious day for the man, Phil Mickelson, who has always been a crowd favorite because of his “go for broke” style and his reciprocal love shown towards the adoring crowds that have always followed him.
It was a thrill to watch Mickelson on Saturday and Sunday. First he just seems like a genuinely nice guy (someone you’d like to have a beer with as the politicos so wish for). Second, as RushBabe noted, he’s been battling arthritis for a number of years. Third, wouldn’t you rather be him( loving wife, children, no divorces – that I’m aware of, or other bad behavior for that matter) v. Tiger? So many people do not look at the totality of a life to appreciate it rather than just celebrity, big bucks, etc, which can come and go. Cheers to Phil for leading a well-rounded and, apparently, good life and playing dam good golf.
I was rooting for Phil, but I knew it wasn’t a done deal until the ball dropped into the cup at 18. Mickelson has had some dramatic finishes, not all of which hVe gone well. But this really felt good.
Also golf. The golf gods are very fickle.
48 and 50 years is old? You’re killing me.
By pro golf standards he’s ancient.
Everyone else his age is on the Senior Tour.
Exactly so.