One of the more surprising events over the first two days at The Masters concerned Phil Mickelson, with the three-time champion ultimately missing the cut at Augusta National.
Phil Mickelson appeared to be a contender for an impressive finish at The Masters. Of course, no-one in the field had won more titles at Augusta National than Lefty. Meanwhile, he finished second at the event as recently as 2023.
The 54-year-old also went into the first major of the year off the back of an impressive showing at LIV Golf Miami. He was very much in contention to win at Doral until Mickelson received an awful break during the final round as his pitch shot hit the flag and flew off into the water.
Mickelson was backed to make the top 10 at The Masters. However, he ended up missing the cut for only the fourth time in his career.
Jon Rahm left amazed by ‘incredible’ Phil Mickelson
It is a remarkable record, but there are signs that Mickelson is not far off being in the best shape he has been in since his early days on the PGA Tour – including with how far he is hitting the driver still.
In fact, speaking on Grant Horvat’s YouTube channel, Jon Rahm told playing partner Josh Allen how Mickelson is continuing to keep up with the big hitters on LIV.
Allen said: “I hate that Phil outdrove me though. But I wanted to bump one out there for you, I’m not swinging super hard.”
“Yeah, 54, 55 year old just airmailing your ball. I mean, he outdrove me in Singapore too, so I can’t really say much. It’s incredible at his age that he’s still that powerful,” Rahm added.
What Jon Rahm thinks he would not be able to do like Phil Mickelson
Mickelson is tied for 39th for driving distance on LIV this year, with an average distance of 294 yards. That is still hugely impressive given that one of the players below him in the standings – Frederik Kjettrup – was barely a month old when Mickelson won the 2000 Buick Invitational.
He has coupled that with all of the knowledge that he has picked up over the years. And that is allowing him to remain an important player on LIV at this stage of his career. He has two top six finishes already this season.
And speaking again in the video, Rahm noted that he is blown away by how much detail Mickelson goes into over every single shot.
“Phil’s calculations are so precise, it’s incredible. If I had to think about all of that I don’t know if I could hit the ball,” he said.
Mickelson is a very divisive character within the game, with his legacy definitely damaged by how his move to LIV was handled.
But something you cannot question is his longevity. He won his first PGA Tour event 34 years ago, and yet, his missed cut at The Masters in 2025 felt like a surprise.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
