Phil Mickelson Turning the Page on ‘Embarrassing’ 2022, Ready for Fresh Start in 2023

The man who was the face of LIV Golf before it got off the ground around this time last year was nowhere to be seen once the new league began to play.

Mickelson had just one top-10 finish in seven LIV events and finished 34^th or worse in the 48-man field on five occasions. After not playing in the Masters or defending his PGA Championship, “Lefty” also missed the cut at the U.S. Open and Open Championship at St. Andrew’s.

Speaking for the first time in 2023 ahead of the Saudi International on the Asian Tour, Mickelson looks like a new man and is speaking like one too.

Mickelson said, via ESPN:

“I have a whole different energy, whole different excitement. I’ve been rejuvenated. Best shape I’ve been in in a long time. I’m back to my college weight. It allows me to recover faster after I play.

“I’m changing some of the ways I practice to be more efficient. Rather than quantity, it’s much more quality driven, and I’m seeing a difference when I go out and play in the way I am kind of pulling the shots off on the golf course.”

Phil Mickelson told @BobHarig earlier this week: “I’m down to my college weight.” This photo seems to be visual proof of that. 😬 pic.twitter.com/vjqj43VLfg

— Kevin Van Valkenburg (@KVanValkenburg) January 31, 2023

Along with the weight, the long hair, scruff goatee, and all-black attire also looks to be in the past. He’s trying to forget about a year that saw him go from inside the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking to outside the top 250.

Mickelson continued:

“I’m embarrassed with how I played last year. I wasn’t ready to play at the start. I wasn’t ready to play during. And this offseason, I’m ready to play. I’ve been playing really well at home, and I’m ready to bring my game back out here and compete. I’m optimistic to see a whole different outlook, a whole different game, a whole different competitiveness.”

Expect to see more of Mickelson outside of the LIV Golf events. He’s eligible for all four majors and will likely play in each of them.

Mickelson shot even par in the first round at the Saudi International, putting him in 38^th in the 125-player field. Abraham Ancer is the leader at -7.

Cover Image Via Fox Sports