Phil Mickelson has made history by winning his sixth major at the age of 50 and becoming the oldest player to win a major. The American pocketed two birdies at the PGA Championship at the start of the final round with a magical game with the wedge and let the contenders fall so far behind that they could not catch him on a windy day at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island, North Carolina.
He finished with a round of one-over-par and 73 strokes, a five-stroke lead on the back nine and no major errors to dampen his chances of victory.
“It’s just an incredible feeling because I knew it could be possible, but everything was pointing to it not happening,” said Mickelson, who had gone more than two years without a win and whose last major victory was nearly eight years ago. He had not been a serious title contender in a major for five years.
For 53 years Julius Boros had held the distinction of being the oldest major champion. He was 48 when he won the PGA Championship in San Antonio in 1968.
Chaos erupted on the 18th hole after the American hit a 9-iron safely to within five yards of the hole and virtually confirmed his triumph. Thousands of fans surrounded him as he walked down the fairway – a scene only seen at the British Open – until Mickelson reappeared with a thumbs-up.
It was possibly the most pressure he faced on the back nine at the Ocean Course.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had a similar experience, so thank you for that,” Mickelson acknowledged during the trophy ceremony. “A little disconcerting, but really unbelievable.”
Three months after Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl at age 43, Mickelson joined the year of timeless champions. He became the first golfer in PGA Tour history to win tournaments 30 years apart. He captured the first of his 45 titles in 1991, in his junior year at Arizona State University.
Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen had their chance at the Ocean Course, but only briefly. Koepka came in at 4-over but bungled his game and finished with a round of 74. Oosthuizen hit the water when he was trying to fight for the title and signed for a 73. Mickelson finished the tournament at 6-under par and 282 strokes.
Once the feat was accomplished, the golf world turned out to congratulate him. The first was Jon Rahm, who embraced the Californian from San Diego as soon as he won the title. Also on the course, but watching from afar after his participation in the tournament, Joaquín Niemann did not miss the opportunity to share the iconic moment on social networks. Tiger Woods wanted to equally applaud the record of what was for a long time one of his toughest rivals. “It’s truly inspiring to see you do it again, at 50 years old. Congratulations,” wrote the 15-time major winner.
At the trophy ceremony, Mickelson conveyed a motivational message to all present. “I love golf. I love my job and the challenge of competing against these fantastic players. I always thought it was possible. I hope this inspires a lot of people. I have worked hard because I love the sport,” he said.
With this major, Mickelson, who plays left-handed although he is right-handed for all but golfing purposes, achieves his 45th victory as a professional, among which are the Augusta Masters (2004, 2006 and 2010), a British Open (2013) and now two PGA Championship (2005 and 2021). He arrived in North Carolina as 113th in the world, being a supporting player. Now after four days he has achieved what seemed impossible.
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