Phil Mickelson: The People's Champion's Complete Career
Phil Mickelson won six major championships over a career spanning three decades. He was the best player in the world for several years in the mid-2000s. He became the oldest major champion in history at 50 years old. He is also the man who finished second in the US Open six times — a record of consistent near-misses that defined the first half of his career and earned him the label "best player never to have won a major" for longer than almost any other elite golfer in history.
The Left-Handed Natural
Mickelson is right-handed. He learned to play left-handed as a child by mirroring his father's right-handed swing, and never switched. His left-handed game with the full right-handed athleticism behind it produced the most creative and audacious shotmaking in the generation between Seve Ballesteros and the current tour. His short game — the flop shot invented by Bob Toski and perfected by Mickelson — gave him scoring options on and around greens that other players of his era didn't have.
The Long Wait: 1991-2004
Mickelson won his first PGA Tour event in 1991 as a college amateur. He was immediately considered a future major champion — the talent was obvious, the personality was immediate, the gallery connection was genuine. He waited 13 years for his first major.
The US Open at Pinehurst in 1999 was the most painful near-miss. Payne Stewart made a long putt on the 18th green to beat Mickelson by one shot. Mickelson had a pager in his pocket for news that his wife Amy was about to deliver their first child — he had told the press that if she went into labor during the tournament, he would leave. He stayed. Stewart won. Stewart died four months later in a plane crash.
Augusta 2004: The First Major
At the 2004 Masters, Mickelson made birdie on the 18th hole to win by one shot. He jumped, pumped his fist, and stood on the green with his arms raised before embracing his wife. He wept. The gallery wept with him. It was the most emotionally complete first major victory since Jack Nicklaus at Augusta in 1986.
The Second Act: 2006-2013
Mickelson won five more majors over the following decade: another Masters in 2006, a third in 2010, the Open Championship at Muirfield in 2013, and the Open Championship at Muirfield — where he shot a final round 66 to win his fifth major at age 43. His play at the 2013 Open Championship is considered the finest stretch of performance in the second half of his career: methodical, precise, and completely different from the attack-everything approach that had defined his earlier play.
The 2021 PGA Championship: History Made
At Kiawah Island's Ocean Course in May 2021, Phil Mickelson became the oldest major champion in golf history. He was 50 years and 11 days old. The record he broke had stood since Julius Boros won the 1968 PGA at 48. Mickelson didn't just break it — he broke it by two years, leading wire-to-wire on one of the most demanding courses in America against a field of players in their prime.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many majors has Phil Mickelson won?
Phil Mickelson has won six major championships: three Masters (2004, 2006, 2010), two Open Championships (2004, 2013), and the 2021 PGA Championship.
How many times did Phil Mickelson finish second in the US Open?
Phil Mickelson finished second in the US Open six times — a record of near-misses that includes the 1999 Pinehurst loss to Payne Stewart, the 2006 Winged Foot collapse, and others. He has never won the US Open.