It’s fair to say Phil Mickelson is somewhat of a late bloomer – at least when it comes to Major championships.
Mickelson is one of only 17 players in history to win at least three of the four men's Majors, having won the Masters three times, the PGA Championship twice and The Open Championship once.
But at one stage in his career, the golf world wondered if his first Major title would ever come as his drought went into his 30s, earning him the unwanted label of 'best player never to win a Major'.
And then the 2004 Masters came around, where he finally broke his duck and would go on to put together one of the best careers in the modern golf era.
If his most recent Major victory as a 50-year-old at the 2021 PGA Championship, as well as his T2 at the 2023 Masters after he left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf, is anything to go by, he will remain a factor for some time to come as he chases the elusive US Open to complete his career Grand Slam.
Here is a brief history of Lefty’s six major victories:
1. 2004 Masters
At this point, Mickelson had gone close at the Majors several times, with 17 top-tens and six top-three finishes, but his moment finally arrived at Augusta National on April 11, 2004.
After starting his first round with a level par 72, Mickelson followed it up with two strong rounds of 69 to share the lead going into Sunday with Chris DiMarco.
However, it started to look like his Major curse would continue as he struggled to a two-over 38 at the turn to trail Ernie Els, who would end up with eight-under in the clubhouse after a red-hot 67 on day four.
What followed was one of the best back nines in Masters history as Mickelson put together a run of birdies to shoot a bogey-free 31, including a clutch 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th, to pip Els by one stroke and finally claim his first Major.
2. 2005 PGA Championship
With the monkey off his back, Mickelson went on to claim his second Major just over a year later at the 2005 PGA Championship – once again with a birdie on 18, although this time it was on Monday due to heavy rain during the tournament.
The story of his final round was similar to the Masters, as he started the day with the lead but fell behind due to several bogeys early in his round. However, he was once again presented with a chance at winning it with a birdie at the last, and he took it with both hands thanks to a trademark flop out of the deep rough to within two feet for a tap-in birdie to beat out Steve Elkington and Thomas Bjorn by one stroke.
3. 2006 Masters
Mickelson’s run of a Major a year continued in 2006 as he returned to Augusta National to win his second consecutive Major title after the PGA Championship in August the previous year.
This time, Mickelson had victory all but secured by the time he reached the 18th on Sunday, which would be his only bogey of the final round, as he put together scores of 70-72-70-69 to beat Tim Clark by two strokes.
The win cemented Mickelson’s spot as the best golfer not named Tiger Woods, and even prompted debate among some fans as to who held the title of best player in the world.
4. 2010 Masters
Mickelson had to wait a bit longer for his next Major title, and it came at the 2010 Masters, which will be remembered as one of the most emotional wins of his career.
He started strong with a five-under 67 to sit one back of Fred Couples, and backed it up with solid rounds of 71, 67 and 67 to win by three strokes over Lee Westwood.
Mickelson said at the time that it was an especially emotional win, with his wife Amy battling breast cancer that year.
“It’s been an emotional year,” he said after becoming just the eighth player to win the Masters three times. “I’m proud of my wife and the fighting struggle she’s been through.
“To come out on top in this tournament feels very emotional. It’s one of the best things we’ve been through. It’s been tough and to be on the other end and feel this kind of jubilation is incredible.”
5. 2013 Open Championship
The 2013 Open Championship was one of Mickelson’s most impressive as he finished as the only player under-par at the difficult Muirfield Golf Links.
Mickelson trailed the 54-hole leader Lee Westwood by five shots heading into the final round, but he ended up putting together a strong five-under 66 on Sunday while Westwood and others faltered. It goes down as one of the best rounds of his entire career.
As he birdied the final two holes to finish at three-under for the tournament, the title was all but wrapped up with the closest competitor, Henrik Stenson, only managing even par.
6. 2021 PGA Championship
The 2021 PGA Championship victory will go down as one of the best and most iconic performances in golf history, with Mickelson becoming the oldest Major champion in the sport at the age of 50 and 11 months, beating Julius Boros’ feat at the 1968 PGA Championship when he was 48.
Mickelson held a one-shot lead heading into Sunday and did enough in his final round with a one-over 73 to beat Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen by two strokes.
Despite having some trouble during his round, including finding the water on 13th and bogeying 17th, Mickelson held his nerve on 18 with an excellent second shot from the left rough to all but secure the victory, leading to thousands of fans swarming the fairway and engulfing him on the course.
After the craziness, Mickelson summed up his victory, and perhaps also his career: "This is just an incredible feeling. I just believed that it was possible yet everything was saying it wasn't and I hope that others find that inspiration.”
