Phil Mickelson's 2013 British Open Clinches His Spot Among All-Time Greats

Phil Mickelson has always been one of the better players of his generation. However, his latest victory at the British Open proves that he is among the best ever in the sport.

While there is no specific number of elite players in history, the upper echelon is a tough one to crack. From Bobby Jones and Walter Hagen to Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer, there is certainly a group that stands above the rest.

Despite his recent major struggles, Tiger Woods is clearly in this category with 14 career majors and 78 PGA tour wins. He has spent most of his career at No. 1 in the world rankings and is easily the most dominant player of his generation.

This caused Mickelson to always be in the shadow of the younger player. In his career, Lefty has been ranked in the top 10 for over 700 weeks and reached as high as No. 2, but he has never been ranked No. 1.

As a result, it was easy to overlook his achievements as good but not great.

For years, Mickelson was the player who could not get it done at majors. That was until he broke through at the Masters in his dramatic 2004 victory. He had then totaled four total major wins heading into the week, three of which were at Augusta.

Obviously, this put him among some quality names, but not the best. Plenty of people had won four titles, especially while specializing at one of the four events. Mickelson had not shown his versatility and had struggled immensely at the Open Championship with only two career top-10 finishes.

Despite being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012, he was not set to be remembered in the way that Woods or Nicklaus will be. However, this all changed at Muirfield.

After being down five strokes to start the final round, Mickelson put together a historic round Sunday while shooting a 66 to win the Open. He had four birdies in his final six holes in what will go down as one of the most clutch runs in history.

While his leap at Augusta at his first major is more iconic, this final round might have been the best of his career.

With the win, Mickelson becomes just the fourth person since 1980 to win three different majors. Of course, he knows exactly how close he has been to winning all four (via SportsCenter):

This is no small feat, as only a handful of people in history have ever won the career Grand Slam. Considering how close he has been to winning the U.S. Open, it would not be surprising if he was eventually able to come through the way he did at the Masters.

The same could not have been said about the Open Championship, which is an event where Mickelson had struggled mightily in his career. In general, links courses had given Lefty trouble over the years. Considering he was able to win on one of the toughest places in Great Britain, it is clear that these issues are behind him.

Additionally, the fact that the victory was at Muirfield should not be overlooked. They say the toughest courses separate the great golfers from the rest, and this Scottish course has done that at the Open.

This list includes some of the best golfers in history, and Mickelson kept the tradition going.

Finally, the veteran is showing his longevity in the sport. ESPN Stats & Info provided an interesting note about his win:

Considering he has now moved himself back up to No. 2 in the world rankings, it is clear he is not disappearing any time soon either. Fans will continue to see his name on leaderboards deep into his 40s and possibly beyond.

Mickelson has accomplished almost everything there is in the sport, and he has been well-loved at every step of the way. When he eventually retires, he will be known as one of the 10 best golfers who ever played.

This fact might have been up for debate prior to Sunday's performance, but his legacy is now undisputed.

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