Phil Mickelson, the end of one of the greats

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He is not the first nor the last idol to become a villain. Mickelson has gone in a year from being one of the great characters of the PGA to cancellation. His commitment to the LIV at the end of his career, and some unfortunate justification, have revealed hidden edges of his character to the eyes of the public.

Phil Mickelson, results

His accusations against the PGA seem to hide a certain greed and his explanations for the switch sides have been cynical. It seems that the six-time major winner, who became the oldest champion of any major at the 2021 PGA, at 50, has somehow lost his honorary place in the sport's pantheon. He will always be remembered as one of the greats, but perhaps not with the same affection as others.

Philip Alfred Mickelson (known as Lefty for his left-handed swing even though he is right-handed in everyday life) (San Diego, June 16, 1970) is an American golfer.

He is one of the best players of his generation and has won six major tournaments: the Masters three times (in 2004, 2006 and 2010), the PGA Championship twice (in 2005 and 2021) and The Open Championship once in the edition of the 2013. He is one of 13 players in golf history to have won at least 3 of 4 majors and has also finished as runners-up in the US Open Championship six times without ever managing to win this tournament.

With his victory in his second PGA Championship on May 23, 2021, he became, at 50 years, 11 months and 8 days, the oldest player to win the record in one of the four major tournaments. The exceptional performance on the Kiawah Island course - where he beat his compatriot Bruce Koepka and the South African Louis Oosthuizen, twenty years younger after an exciting three-way duel - came eight years after his last major win in the 2013. Mickelson, who had gradually slipped beyond the hundredth position in the world rankings, has thus risen suddenly to number 32.

During his almost thirty-year career he was for over 700 weeks in the top 10 in the world according to the Official World Golf Ranking, arriving on several occasions to occupy the second place, but never the first, in a period dominated by Tiger Woods, of which Michelson was one of the few rivals able to put him in trouble.

from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/NIjsntT

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