Phil Mickelson let professional golf know he still means business at LIV Golf’s Hong Kong event. The six-time major winner finished third, four shots back of winner Sergio Garcia.
After Mickelson finished near the bottom of the LIV standings in 2024, many thought the legendary lefty’s best years were behind him and that he was no longer capable of competing at the highest level.
However, Mickelson made changes to his game during the off-season in order to compete with the big hitters currently dominating on LIV: Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Joaquin Niemann, etc.
Mickelson is looking to reduce errors, and after dropping just one shot on Sunday, the 54-year-old executed his new game plan well.
Yet, despite nearly tasting LIV Golf victory for the first time in Fanling, Mickelson revealed he could be set to tinker ahead of the Sentosa event in Singapore.
Phil Mickelson to change club set-up at LIV Golf Singapore
The Sentosa stop gets underway on March 14. Mickelson has admitted he will make adjustments to his clubs and golf ball to deal with the course on the southernmost point of continental Asia.
“We need more length,” Mickelson said. I’ll change the set-up of my clubs a little bit. I might even change the ball. I used a Callaway Elyte driver in Adelaide and did really well hitting fairways there. I’ve got two that I hit really well.
“I’ll probably go to one and get a little bit more pop because Sentosa, there’s a lot of drives you want to hit bombs, about five of them, and then there’s a lot of holes that aren’t driver.”
Phil Mickelson delivers brilliant performance in Hong Kong
Had Mickelson won in Hong Kong, it would have been one of golf’s great stories. After becoming the oldest major winner in 2021, Mickelson beating the likes of Rahm and DeChambeau, aged 54, would have been remarkable.
The challenge now is consistency. He must demonstrate that his new tactics are transferable to some of LIV’s more demanding venues, such as JCB, Sentosa and Valderrama.
Mickelson deserves credit for keeping himself in good physical condition. Age has caught up with some of the game’s great players, but that doesn’t appear to be the case with the Californian. Mickelson has expertly avoided injury and is still capable of competing against players nearly half his age.
After the Sentosa event, LIV heads to Doral for the final stop before the Masters Tournament at Augusta National begins.
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