Phil Mickelson has set a new record in the history of golf by winning the 103rd PGA Championship. Many bystanders were riddled with doubt about Mickelson’s playing tactics, considering he hadn’t won since 2019. He recently started meditation before the tournament to solve his ‘focus’ issues.
Despite the plethora of doubts surrounding his game energy, Mickelson shone brighter than ever. He didn’t lose focus throughout the game, defeated Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen at Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course, and won the 2021 PGA Championship. By winning at 50 years of age, Phil Mickelson set a new record, which was previously held by Julius Brown, who had won the PGA Championship in 1968 when he was 48-year old.
Upon winning the coveted title, Mickelson expressed sheer joy: “This is just an incredible feeling because I just believed that it was possible but yet everything was saying it wasn’t.” He also expressed an iota of hope for others to find his course to victory as an “inspiration,” stating how the extra efforts he put in the game are all “worth it in the end.”
50-year-old Phil Mickelson’s road to victory wasn’t all that simple. Only one shot ahead, Mickelson started the game on Thursday with a hasty 10 rounds, where he and Koepka struck four two-shot swings and one three-shot swing. After the initial pell-mell, Mickelson maintained his composure and marked a 1-over-par 73 to finish two shots ahead of Koepka and Oosthuizen.
As the People’s Champion basked in the victory, thousands of fans encircled him around the fairway. In spite of winning 5 titles prior to this, Phil Mickelson still felt a myriad of feelings that couldn’t be expressed in the best of words. He described the experience as “slightly unnerving, but exceptionally awesome.”
Mickelson’s words resonated in the Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course as the environment after his victory was unparalleled. Even Hollywood would fall short of matching the emotions involved in the “Mickelson Show” on Sunday which saw a fusion of different things coming together. From the resilience of Mickelson to the little fairy tale element of the game, Ocean Course witnessed an aura of a different kind altogether.
Phil Mickelson’s victory is a testament to his persistence and determination to achieve his goal, despite facing obstacles in his course. After emerging as the winner, he declared his passion for the game as the sole reason for him participating in golf. “Never been driven by exterior things,” Mickelson suggested he loves the opportunities he gets to play “against the best at the highest level.” Referring to his recent fall in rankings, he stated that it did not affect him and instead, it only gave him a greater push to make more efforts.
Koepka, who is 20 years younger than Mickelson expressed his elation at the results of the tournament. “Super happy for Phil,” he extended his appreciation for his competitor’s talent and wished to play and excel in the same manner at the age of 50. Oosthuizen also mirrored the words of Koepka, praising Mickelson for his unwavering focus and stellar skills. He termed Phil Mickelson’s win as nothing short of an achievement, one that would be remembered by people for years to come.
