Even though his illustrious career is coming to an end, six-time major champion Phil Mickelson is determined to win one last, elusive trophy before quitting golf.
Phil Mickelson, a six-time major champion, still hopes to win the U.S. Open, so he will postpone retirement as long as possible.
To win the U.S. Open and accomplish the career slam is Mickelson’s ultimate goal. In addition to winning three Masters titles, two PGA Championships, and one Open Championship, he has placed second six times in the competition.
Since LIV Golf stars do not accrue ranking points, Mickelson is no longer able to qualify via the rankings, but as a past winner, he should still be invited to Augusta, the USPGA, and The Open. After winning the USPGA in 2021 at Kiawah Island, he should also receive an invitation to the U.S. Open. At 50 years, 11 months, and 7 days old, he became the oldest major championship winner in history.
Because Mickelson receives an invitation to all four majors for the following five years after winning a major, the victory was also essential to his chances of receiving invites to the upcoming U.S. Open events. Despite speculation that he will retire after his current LIV Golf contract expires, Mickelson is determined to win the U.S. Open, and his heroics in 2021 demonstrated that he is not to be written off based only on age.
“Winning the U.S. Open has been a lifelong and elusive dream, and I’ve come close so many times,” said Mickelson, who was granted a special exemption to compete at the U.S. Open in 2021. As a past champion, he will also receive special exemptions to The Masters and PGA Championship for life.
“If you don’t play, you can’t win. I am grateful and honored to have been given this opportunity by the USGA, and I am looking forward to playing on the golf course where I grew up in my hometown.
Mickelson still needs to win the U.S. Open to finish his career with a grand slam. If Mickelson wins the elusive title, he will only be the second player in U.S. Open history to win the tournament with a special exemption; the other player was Hale Irwin in 1990 at Medinah.
With one important disclaimer, the American told Golf Digest in February 2022 about his retirement plans: “If I win the US Open, I will retire.” That would be my final competition. I won’t have anything more to prove because I will have completed my career Grand Slam.
Mickelson’s biographer Alan Shipnuck speculates that the 53-year-old may sign a non-playing captain’s contract with LIV Golf in the future. Greg Norman and company gave each team captain a four-year contract, and players will presumably start talks with LIV again at the end of 2025.
If Mickelson decides not to play when his contract expires, it will indicate that he had a brief tenure with LIV Golf. With only two top-10 finishes in 20 LIV events, Mickelson is finding it difficult to regain the form that elevated him to the status of one of the game’s greatest players while he was playing on the PGA Tour.
Leave a Reply