For some time on Sunday, it appeared that Phil Mickelson had a real chance of winning his first LIV Golf title, with the six-time major champion very much in the mix in Miami.
Phil Mickelson went into the final round at LIV Golf Miami three shots off the lead. However, a chaotic start from Bryson DeChambeau opened the door for the chasing pack at Doral.
Unfortunately for Mickelson, his challenge all but ended before the turn. A double bogey and a bogey on the seventh and eighth holes respectively put paid to his hopes of a dramatic victory.
Nevertheless, it appears that the 54-year-old is very content with where his game is at heading into the first major of the year.
Phil Mickelson looks ahead to The Masters after an impressive showing at LIV Golf Miami
Mickelson, of course, has won The Masters on three occasions during his career. Meanwhile, he finished tied for second at Augusta National as recently as 2023. So it certainly seems that Lefty continues to have the tools required to be competitive in the coming days.
Speaking after his final round, Mickelson insisted that everything appears to be moving in the right direction.
“Yeah, I’m playing really well. I’m playing good golf. I’m driving it well. I’m hitting good iron shots, putting it well. I’m looking forward to competing at Augusta, a course I know very well, and feel like I have the game now and am hitting the shots to compete,” he said.
The awful break which ended Mickelson’s hopes of a first LIV Golf victory
Mickelson will perhaps feel hard done by given how his challenge at LIV Golf Miami fell apart. On the seventh hole, Mickelson was looking to get up and down to save par and appeared to hit a very good chip shot.
Unfortunately, he was too accurate, with the ball smashing into the pin and running off the green and into the water hazard. That saw the HyFlyers captain make a six, leaving him with a mountain to climb.
And he was asked whether it was the worst break in LIV Golf history.
“Hitting the pin and going in the water? Yeah, it was unfortunate. I don’t know what to say. Obviously I hit the chip a little high on the flag, like it was going to be 12, 15 feet long, but certainly water wasn’t in play.
You know, I don’t get why — I don’t know if it’s that the pins are those big firm — they’re not the thin fiberglass like we used to have that would absorb it a little bit better. Boy, they just ding off of these things. That was an unfortunate example of it,” he said.
“A little bit, sure. To make a 6 there when I’m looking at — I didn’t hit the best tee shot. It went just through the fairway to the rough, so you’re fighting for par when you do that. But I played it right in front of the green in a good spot, and just an unfortunate chip to hit the pin and go in the water. It happens,” he added, when asked if it took the wind out of his sails.
“But I hit a lot of good shots later on. I was able to make a couple of birdies, get the round back to even par and finish off a good solid tournament.”
Mickelson has two top six finishes on LIV this season. Whatever you think of him, it cannot be denied that he is performing at a remarkable level given his age and the fact that he won his first tour event more than 34 years ago.
He would surely love nothing more than to break his own record for being the oldest major champion of all-time.
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