Everyone should love themselves as much as Phil Mickelson loves himself, and right now..there is a lot to love about Phil. He's never spent a single day as the world's # 1 ranked golfer. He's never going to be considered the best golfer of his generation, Tiger Woods made sure of that, but what Phil has done in 2021 has perhaps given us an appreciation for what he's been and what he is now.
In case you weren't aware Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship earlier this year. Of course if you follow him on any of his social feeds or are even remotely interested in golf it would be impossible for you NOT to know this because Phil keeps reminding us all that he won it. And why shouldn't he? What he did at Kiawah may have the most impressive accomplishment in golf. Now before you go all "Jack at the 86 Masters" or "Tiger at the 2019 Masters" on me, allow me to explain. First of all The Masters, while being almost everyone's favorite Championship, is a limited field event. The tour plays there every year. If you have a game suited for the course and knowledge of it you have a distinct advantage. There's a reason Jack won there 6 times and Tiger won 5 times. The Ocean Course at Kiawah where Phil won The PGA in May is a course last visited by The PGA in 2012. It was also the longest course in major championship history with the deepest field in a major. Phil won it.. at almost 50 becoming the oldest major winner in the history of the sport. When the pressure was on Sunday on the 16th hole Brooks Koepka, who was paired with Phil in the final round, launched a 361 yard drive. So what did Phil do? Stepped right up and ripped one 5 yards past him, 366 yards. Or as Phil would say.. I hit a BOMB. The best way I can sum up what he did is this: Jack Nicklaus wining the 1986 Masters at the age of 46 was more magical. Tiger Woods winning the 2019 Masters after all he had been through was probably more emotional. What Phil did this year..was more impressive, and it's launched the summer of Phil.
Phil Mickelson has become at the relatively old age of 51 what he never really was in his prime, beloved. He's the trash talking , bomb hitting, calves sculpted, thumbs up waving mascot on the PGA Tour. At the match in which he was paired with Tom Brady against Aaron Rodgers and Bryson DeChambeau Phil, along with the golf course, was the break out star. He never stopped talking, never stopped encouraging his playing partner. He talked so much I actually thought he might be getting paid by the word. Phil and Tom actually lost the match but they won the night. So here he is at 51 a man completely at ease with who he is and soaking in the moment. Phil has 45 career tour wins an 6 majors in his bag, impressive. They just happened to come along at the same time Tiger Woods won 82 times out tour and scooped up 15 majors. Phil will never be considered as good as Tiger Woods, but in 2021 he bagged something Tiger may never claim, being the oldest dude out there to beat back the young guns and take home a major. 2021 is his moment in the sun, we've achieved peak Phil. And if you had to take a back seat to arguably the greatest of all time for your entire career, you'd probably take the. victory lap Phil is taking right now. Ride that thing as long as you can my man.. you earned it.
