Phil Mickelson has a long and extensive history of thinking outside the box when it comes to navigating difficult challenges on the golf course.
Firstly, it would be remiss to disregard his phenomenal record in the game of golf.
Mickelson has won six major championships and 45 regular PGA Tour events to date.
However, the controversies he has been involved in both on and off the golf course have somewhat tarnished his legacy in the game.
Mickelson recently ripped into Jay Monahan, after the PGA Tour commissioner’s comments on Rory McIlroy skipping the Memorial Tournament.
However, Mickelson has admitted that he’s not against returning to the PGA Tour at some point in the future.
It’s highly unlikely that will ever happen, due to his outspoken and stubborn nature.
He has a history of making big statements when the golfing world’s eyes are firmly fixed on him.
Phil Mickelson took matters into his own hands in 2020 at Memorial
Mickelson enjoyed a great start to the Memorial Tournament back in 2020, but things took a turn for the worse when he reached the 16th hole during his second round.
He carded a double bogey on the par-three on Friday and Saturday, before taking matters into his own hands on Sunday.
The 45-time PGA Tour winner made a bold statement during the final round, and laid up with his tee-shot, something hardly ever seen before in professional golf on a par-three hole, if ever at all.
He made a bogey on Sunday, and ended the week five-over-par on the 16th hole.
Mickelson said he laid up on the 16th because it was simply impossible to hold the green with his tee shot.
However, the general consensus is that the 54-year-old was simply sending a message to Jack Nicklaus that the hole was poorly designed, and unfair to play.
In all fairness to him, Nicklaus has been incredibly open to taking on board advice from the players regarding the best ways to improve Muirfield Village.
If Mickelson really thought the hole simply wasn’t fair, he simply should have spoken to Mr Nicklaus.
Phil Mickelson’s most controversial moments
Perhaps Mickelson’s most controversial moment in the game came at the US Open in 2018 at Shinnecock Hills.
The six-time major champion faced a rapid 18-foot downhill putt on the 13th hole at Shinnecock Hills. He hit his putt for bogey way too hard before running after it and whacking his moving ball back towards the hole.
Mickelson was handed a two-shot penalty of hitting a moving ball and ended up carding a 10 on the hole.
Mickelson joining LIV Golf and his criticism of the PGA Tour also drew significant criticism from some sections of the golfing world.
Some have accused him of making the move purely to line his own pockets rather than for the ‘growth of the game’, as he continually says.
His comments ahead of his move to LIV really raised some eyebrows, when he opened up on the murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
And what about when he bizarrely took to X to suggest that world number one Scottie Scheffler would not win again up until the Ryder Cup in September?
He has obviously been made to eat humble pie since that ridiculous prediction.
Mickelson seems to be fairly happy in his life now though, and that’s all that will matter to him, his wife Amy, his parents, his children and his closest friends.
One thing’s for sure though, nobody would be surprised if Mickelson is involved in a few more controversial moments before hanging up his clubs.
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