One of the main reasons Phil Mickelson simply has to have his name in the pantheon of golf’s all-time greats is Lefty’s longevity, with his first victory on the PGA Tour coming more than 34 years ago.
Phil Mickelson was perhaps the player who saw his tally of potential victories impacted most by the emergence of Tiger Woods. Of course, Mickelson somehow never got to world number one during his career, while he would have to wait until 2004 for his first major.
Few would have believed that when Mickelson burst onto the scene in the early 1990s. By the time Woods had stunned the world by winning The Masters by 12 shots in 1997, Mickelson had already won 10 times on the PGA Tour.
In fact, his maiden victory had come while Mickelson was still an amateur.
When Phil Mickelson won his first PGA Tour title as an amateur
Quite remarkably, Mickelson reached the 15th hole of the final round of the 1991 Northern Telecom Open three shots back of the lead after a nightmare on the previous hole.
Mickelson was actually ahead as he teed off on the 14th. However, an eight dropped him out of the lead, and seemingly left Tom Purtzer and Bob Tway battling it out for the title.
Purtzer would have the best year of his career in 1991 as he went on to win twice. Meanwhile, Tway had won the PGA Championship five years earlier.
But it would still prove to be Mickelson’s day in Tucson.
Purtzer made a double bogey on his final hole, while Tway took a bogey on the 17th. Mickelson meanwhile would make birdie on two of his final three holes to win by one shot.
The PGA Tour would have to wait more than three decades before another amateur won
Mickelson became the first amateur to win on the PGA Tour since Scott Verplank in 1985. And it would be more than three decades until another amateur won, with the run finally ending when Nick Dunlap triumphed at The American Express in 2024.
By the time of Dunlap’s victory, Mickelson had enjoyed 45 wins on the PGA Tour, including six majors.
Dunlap was just a few months old when Mickelson won The Masters in 2004. And his PGA Championship debut came just three years after the LIV Golf star had become the oldest major champion ever in 2021.
Whatever fans think of him now, there is no denying that there has very rarely been a character quite like Phil Mickelson within the game of golf.
Featured and article image credit: PGA Tour Archive via Getty Images