Phil Mickelson becomes the oldest runner-up in Masters history

For a year, Phil Mickelson was quite often in the news for more off-field activities than his game. He skipped the 2022 Masters, chose not to defend the PGA Championship title, left the PGA for LIV, made questionable statements, and sued the PGA tour.

However, on the field, Phil was remarkably poor with no notable performance and slipped out of the top 400 in OWGR. It can be said that the PGA suspension was the reason for his drop in rankings, but it is also true that his game wasn't noteworthy either.

But in the 2023 Masters, we saw the old Phil and his vintage golf, especially on Sunday when he carded a score of 7-under 65 in the fourth round to make a historic 14-place jump to finish runner-up at the 87th Masters.

This second-place finish meant that the 52-year-old golfer has now become the oldest runner-up in the history of the tournament. Mickelson made 8 birdies and just one bogey in the final round.

Last June, Mickelson announced he was joining the Saudi-backed league. Since then, his performances have just worsened. In the 10 LIV events he has played so far, he has recorded only one top-10 finish with an average finish of 31st in the 48-players field.

Ahead of the 2023 Masters, there wasn't much expectation from the golf veteran. Reports of him sitting silently during the Masters dinner also made the rounds, which meant that he didn't want to interact much with the PGA Tour members amidst the rift rumors between the two groups.

After making 71-69-75 in the first three rounds, Phil began the fourth round at 1-under, 10 shots behind leader Koepka. By the evening, he had shot the lowest score (7-under 65) by any golfer aged 50 or more in the Masters.

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Phil Mickelson's career highlights

Phil Mickelson became the oldest major champion by claiming the 2021 PGA Championship

Phil Mickelson has claimed 45 PGA Tour events, including six major events. He sits at ninth in the all-time list of most PGA Tour title winners. The six major championships include three Masters (2004, 2006, and 2010), the PGA Championship (2005 and 2021), and the Open Championship in 2013.

He has also won two titles on the European Tour and three on the Senior PGA Tour. In team events, Mickelson has a record of 18 wins, 18 wins, 22 losses, and seven tied matches in the Ryder Cup.

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List of PGA Tour titles won by Phil Mickelson

• 1991 - Northern Telecom Open(as an amateur)
• 1993 - Buick Invitational of California
• 1993 - The International
• 1994 - Mercedes Championships
• 1995 - Northern Telecom Open (2)
• 1996 - Nortel Open (3)
• 1996 - Phoenix Open
• 1996 - GTE Byron Nelson Golf Classic
• 1996 - NEC World Series of Golf
• 1997 - Bay Hill Invitational
• 1997 - Sprint International (2)
• 1998 - Mercedes Championships (2)
• 1998 - AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
• 2000 - Buick Invitational (2)
• 2000 - BellSouth Classic
• 2000 - MasterCard Colonial
• 2000 - The Tour Championship
• 2001 - Buick Invitational (3)
• 2001 - Canon Greater Hartford Open
• 2002 - Bob Hope Chrysler Classic
• 2002 - Canon Greater Hartford Open (2)
• 2004 - Bob Hope Chrysler Classic (2)
• 2004 - Masters Tournament
• 2005 - FBR Open (2)
• 2005 - AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (2)
• 2005 - BellSouth Classic (2)
• 2005 - PGA Championship
• 2006 - BellSouth Classic (3)
• 2006 - Masters Tournament (2)
• 2007 - AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (3)
• 2007 - The Players Championship
• 2007 - Deutsche Bank Championship
• 2008 - Northern Trust Open
• 2008 - Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (2)
• 2009 - Northern Trust Open (2)
• 2009 - WGC-CA Championship
• 2009 - The Tour Championship (2)
• 2010 - Masters Tournament (3)
• 2011 - Shell Houston Open
• 2012 - AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am (4)
• 2013 - Waste Management Phoenix Open (3)
• 2013 - The Open Championship
• 2018 - WGC-Mexico Championship (2)
• 2019 - AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (5)
• 2021 - PGA Championship (2)