Phil Mickelson turns into oldest main winner as he wins enthralling PGA Championship

“That is simply an unimaginable feeling as a result of I simply believed that it was potential however but every thing was saying it wasn’t. I hope that others discover that inspiration,” he stated in his post-round convention.

“It’d take just a little further work, just a little bit tougher effort to keep up bodily or keep the abilities, however gosh, is it price it ultimately, and I am so appreciative to be holding this Wanamaker Trophy.”

The trail to victory

Heading into the ultimate day with Mickelson only a shot forward of Koepka, the competitors tightened up much more within the early holes of Sunday’s spherical.

And a bogey for Mickelson and birdie for Koepka on the opening gap tied the scores up, with 17 holes standing between the pair and the well-known Wanamaker Trophy.

The pair went backwards and forwards, exchanging birdies, pars, bogeys and the odd double bogey, throughout the first 4 holes, with little to separate the pair.

However the Mickelson magic that followers have come to like over his profession actually started to emerge on the par-three fifth gap.

In a bunker off of his tee shot, the American golfer chipped into the opening, sending the watching spectators right into a rapture and giving them motive to consider that historical past could possibly be within the making.

And after a bogey on the sixth, Mickelson’s resolve appeared to strengthen, and he appeared to be having the time of his life.

Whereas Koepka’s confidence appeared to drip away gap by gap, Mickelson solely bought higher, birdieing two and selecting up pars on the subsequent six holes.

There was nonetheless time for one heart-in-mouth second for Mickelson, together with his second shot on the thirteenth dropping into the water. Nonetheless, after a couple of errant photographs from Koepka, he wasn’t made to pay the worth with each gamers bogeying the opening.

On the subsequent gap, Mickelson’s tee shot left him a trick chip onto the inexperienced. And it price him, as he picked up consecutive bogeys, lowering the hole between him and Oosthuizen to only three.

And simply when all of the strain was on — within the group forward, Oosthuizen’s birdie lowered the hole to 2 photographs — Mickelson produced a 366-yard drive on the sixteenth gap, the longest drive on that gap by any participant all week.

It resulted in an all-important birdie, as soon as once more stretching his result in three photographs, which nervously was lowered to 2, moments later.

In a tremendous scene on the ultimate gap, nonetheless, surrounded by hundreds of followers and bathed in daylight, Mickelson two-putted his title into the historical past books.

For Koepka, who was in search of his third PGA Championship title in 4 years, struggles together with his putter have been the decisive issue that held him again.

And though he pushed Mickelson all the way in which, the four-time main winner described being “tremendous disenchanted” and “fairly bummed” within the instant moments after the ultimate spherical.

“I am not completely happy. I do not know if there is a proper phrase I can say on right here with out getting fined, nevertheless it hurts just a little bit,” he advised the media in his post-round press convention.

“It is a type of issues the place I simply by no means felt snug over the putts. I do not know why, what occurred.”

The story of Mickelson’s win — and his age — is already resonating with many.

Report breaker

Heading into the PGA Championship, Mickelson was most probably very distant from individuals’s favorites to win.

After the primary spherical, he sat amongst the leaders, simply three photographs off Corey Conners on the high.

However he made strikes after that, ending Friday and Saturday atop the leaderboard.

In successful at 50, he breaks Boros’ file of 48 years, 4 months, 18 days of the oldest main winner in golf’s historical past. Golf legend Jack Nicklaus received his final main at 46.

And earlier than Sunday’s victory, he’d solely received twice on the PGA Tour since his final main victory in 2013 in addition to two wins on the PGA Tour Champions in 2020.

In successful, Mickelson turned the fourth golfer in PGA Tour historical past to win in 4 totally different a long time. He joins Sam Snead, Raymond Floyd and Davis Love III.

After his record-breaking achievement, Mickelson’s brother Tim — whom Phil credited with serving to him have enjoyable this week — stated conserving him relaxed was key to his success.

“I simply advised him to cease pondering a lot. When he would get forward of himself, I reminded him, “Hey, we’ll fear about that once we get there,'” he stated in his press convention. “Just a few tales right here and there. Possibly one or two might need been made up, who is aware of? However something I can do to maintain his thoughts off of the shot that is arising when it is not even our flip to hit.”