Is Phil Mickelson Actually About to Go on a Tear?

Phil Mickelson, 52, has become the Master’s oldest runner-up finish as he tied for second with Brooks Koepka 4 shots behind Jon Rahm. The six-time major championship winner, Mickelson, has shown he still has plenty of game left, firing a 65 on Sunday at Augusta.

It was only 2 years ago Phil had fans going wild at Kiawah Island in 2021 at the PGA Championship, where he had Koepka hanging close by. However, Phil prevailed over Koepka, with the fairways stormed with patrons. One can imagine if Phil is in contention again next month in 2023, the fans will storm the fairways.

Phil knows his game better than anyone else and came to the media with strong words of confidence after the conclusion of round 2, where he was in the top 10.

Phil said:

“I’m close to going on a tear. Even though the scores haven’t shown it, I’m hitting so many good shots. Pretty soon I’m going to have a really low one. When that happens and it clicks, then the game feels easy again. Then I stop putting pressure on myself, and the scores just start to fall into place.”

Phil Mickelson’s final round (65) is the lowest round in Masters history by a player age 50 or older 👏 #themasters pic.twitter.com/yL9b1LtcIg

— ESPN (@espn) April 9, 2023

After seeing the performance he put on against some of the best players in the world, there’s no reason Mickelson can’t draw from this momentum he will have from this T-2nd at the Masters. Not that exemptions are important to Phil other than the U.S. Open exemption that will expire in 2026 from his 2021 PGA Championship win.

Mickelson still has a few opportunities to close the career grand slam to put an exclamation mark on his career and put to bed the six-runner-up finishes he has at the U.S. Open with a victory. 

Lowest Masters round ever by a player over 50 ✅

Lowest final round of his Masters career ✅

Proud Sun Devil ✅

Have a day, @PhilMickelson #ForksUp /// 🔱😈⛳️

pic.twitter.com/32EXhIbpRC

— Sun Devil Men’s Golf (@sundevilmgolf) April 9, 2023

His only other opportunity in the future is to continually play well in the majors to keep his OWGR (Official World Golf Ranking) inside the Top 60 or meet other criteria by winning another major.

Mickelson’s finish at Augusta bolstered him from 425th to a staggering 72nd on the list, with another solid finish, he could very well be easily inside the Top 60 in the world. It will be exciting to watch what the World Golf Hall of Fame golfer can do with the remaining three majors of the year. 

The tell-tale signs are bright from what he displayed at the coveted Augusta National for the year to come.

Cover Image Via YahooSports