Phil Mickelson Turns Back the Clock at TPC Scottsdale

It was January 27, 1996.  Five years before Apple Corporation would release the first iPod prototype.  Bill Clinton was still serving his first term as United States President.  And Tom Brady, the man who will contend in his eighth Super Bowl today, was only eighteen years old, still playing his freshman year on The University of Michigan football team.

Phil Mickelson holds a plaque at the Phoenix Open TPC in…

Phil Mickelson holds a plaque at the Phoenix Open TPC in Scottsdale,AZ. Mickelson won the Open. Mandatory Credit: Simon P. Barnett /Allsport Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

It was also the day in which Phil Alfred Mickelson, then 26 years of age, won his first victory in the Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale.  The triumph marked his 7^th PGA Tour win to date, adding to a total that has now reached 42 victories (9^th all time).  Astonishingly, it has been nearly a quarter century since Mickelson’s playoff win that day over Justin Leonard.

Phil Mickelson walks to the green on the second hole during the third…

Phil Mickelson walks to the green on the second hole during the third round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on February 3, 2018 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

Today Phil has a chance to claim another title at TPC Scottsdale.  A victory would snap Mickelson’s nearly five year long winless streak, which stretches back to the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield.  Additionally, a win today would distinguish Mickelson as the only player in Phoenix Open history to win the tournament on four separate occasions.  Currently, four men have claimed the title thrice: Arnold Palmer (1961, 1962, 1963), Gene Littler (1955, 1959, 1969), Mark Calcavecchia (1989, 1992, 2001), and Mickelson (1996, 2005, 2013).

Phil Mickelson holds the championship trophy after winning the Waste…

Phil Mickelson holds the championship trophy after winning the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on February 3, 2013 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

In Saturday’s third round, Mickelson shot a bogey-less five-under par round of 66, currently resting two shots shy of Rickie Fowler’s lead at -14.  Aided by two consecutive birdies on the par-3 12^th and par-5 13^th, Mickelson performed strongly on a day in which impeccable weather conditions demanded low scores.

Two straight 🐦 and Lefty is looming just two shots back.#QuickHits pic.twitter.com/4KxtjvaMM5

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 3, 2018

Phil followed his two consecutive birdies with another birdie on the par-4 seventeenth.  Finally, on the final hole of the third round, knowing that he was only a shot off the lead, Mickelson birdied the final hole for the second consecutive day.

Arizona Superlatives 🗒️🖊️

Most likely to put on a show: Phil Mickelson pic.twitter.com/dP9ZAbWPdY

— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) February 3, 2018

Teeing off today at 10:45am MT alongside Bryson Dechambeau and Xander Schauffele, Mickelson will have a chance to not only become the first four-time champion in Phoenix Open history, but also demonstrate again his remarkable longevity.  The NFL’s championship game may be the dominate sports story of Super Bowl Sunday, but the final round at TPC Scottsdale will certainly be one to remember.

Phil Mickelson walks off the 9th green during the second round of the…

Phil Mickelson walks off the 9th green during the second round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open at TPC Scottsdale on February 2, 2018 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images

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