Phil Mickelson Discusses PGA Championship Win: 'I Just Believed That It Was Possible'
May 23, 2021
What was the strategy behind Phil Mickelson's historic PGA Championship victory?
Belief.
"I just believed that it was possible, but yet everything was saying it wasn't," he said after carding a one-over 73 in the final round at Kiawah Island Golf Resort in South Carolina on Sunday to finish at six under on the weekend.
"I hope that others find that inspiration. It might take a little extra work, a little bit harder effort to maintain physically or maintain the skills, but gosh is it worth it in the end."
Mickelson, who turns 51 on June 16, is the oldest men's major championship winner in history. That record was previously held by Julius Boros, who was 48 when he won the 1968 PGA Championship, per ESPN Stats & Info.
It was more than just his age that had people counting him out, even though he held a one-stroke lead over Brooks Koepka heading into the final round. Mickelson was ranked 115th in the Official World Golf Ranking, making him the lowest-ranked major champion since Shaun Micheel won the PGA Championship in 2003 after being ranked at 169.
Those expectations were reflected in the odds put out by DraftKings:
Mickelson's last major championship win came in 2013, when he claimed The Open Championship. He also finished tied for second at that year's U.S. Open. A 2010 Masters tournament champion, Mickelson snapped his longest winless drought of any major, claiming his first PGA Championship since 2005.
He is the first to win majors in three different decades.
This was his first PGA Tour win since 2019. Mickelson is the first player in tour history to win tournaments in four different decades—he claimed his first in 1991.
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