Phil Mickelson might be past his best and over on the LIV Golf circuit right now but Brandel Chamblee has still used the 54-year-old as a measuring stick to compare Rory McIlroy’s efforts at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
McIlroy battled his way around Bay Hill to score a two-under round of 70 on the opening day as harsh winds and tough rough stopped players going wild.
For someone like McIlroy, finding the rough and then getting out can be easier due to his sheer strength and athleticism.
And after carving a ball out of the thick stuff and onto the green in round one, Brandel Chamblee compared the Northern Irishman to the great Phil Mickelson.
Brandel Chamblee compares Rory McIlroy to Phil Mickelson
Chamblee was discussing a number of McIlroy’s shots in his opening round at Bay Hill and when it came to one gouged out effort on the ninth, Chamblee compared McIlroy to Mickelson.
“Over on the ninth, yeah it was a back pin ok, but you’ve still got to have the control, still got to have the speed, still got to have the judgement. That was played absolutely perfect,” Chamblee said.
“Bones was on the call, he’s seen a guy scramble one or two in his life, going back to the time he was with Phil [Mickelson], and there were a lot of them. That was a Phil Mickelson-esque shot there that he converted as well for birdie.”
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Why Rory McIlroy admires Phil Mickelson’s longevity
At 54, Phil Mickelson is one of the elder statesmen in golf now and having won it all – barring the US Open – he’s one of the greatest to ever do it.
Of course, now he’s on LIV, we don’t get to see Mickelson compete with the likes of McIlroy too much anymore.
However, that doesn’t mean the respect isn’t there and McIlroy has spoken of Mickelson’s longevity before, admitting he’d love to still be competing at his age.
“Yeah, if I fast-forward 20 years, I can see it, and I can certainly see it with someone like Phil who feeds off the energy of the crowd and gets going. I mean, that front nine he played yesterday was flawless. He played really, really well.
“But yeah, I don’t know what 20 years down the line is going to look like for me, but hopefully I’m in Phil’s position and still contending in these things,” McIlroy said.
Quite what 20 years down the line will look like in golf remains to be seen. But if McIlroy is still somehow about, then it will have been quite the career.
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