Golf Alarab · Player profile
Phil Mickelson
A left-handed artist who turned patience into six major championships.
Phil Mickelson’s career combines inventive short-game touch, a bold attacking instinct and a record of 45 PGA TOUR victories. Six major championships, including three Masters titles and a landmark PGA Championship at age 50, define a career spanning several generations.
From early promise to the professional game
The turning points that shaped a distinctive career.
Philip Alfred Mickelson was born in San Diego, California, on 16 June 1970. A naturally right-handed player, he learned to play golf left-handed by mirroring his father’s swing. He excelled as an amateur at Arizona State University, winning three NCAA individual championships before turning professional in 1992.
Mickelson won on the PGA TOUR as an amateur in 1991, then built a long professional career around an aggressive style and exceptional feel around the greens. For years, major championships eluded him despite frequent contention. That changed at the 2004 Masters, where he made a birdie on the final hole to secure his first major title.
He went on to win the Masters again in 2006 and 2010, the PGA Championship in 2005 and 2021, and The Open Championship in 2013 at Muirfield. The 2013 Open completed a set of major titles across three different championships and remains one of the most celebrated links performances of his career.
In 2021, Mickelson became the oldest winner of a men’s major championship at 50 years and 11 months, claiming the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. His official PGA TOUR record lists 45 victories. His career also includes Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup appearances across more than two decades, along with a reputation for imaginative recovery shots and a willingness to take on risk.
Defining achievement
The 2021 PGA Championship at age 50
Mickelson’s victory at Kiawah Island in May 2021 made him the oldest winner of a men’s major championship. He managed a demanding Ocean Course under pressure and turned a long career of near-misses into a defining milestone.
Career timeline
The seasons, titles and milestones that define the record.
Amateur PGA TOUR winner
Wins the Northern Telecom Open as an amateur.
Turns professional
Begins a professional career after standout college golf.
First major
Wins the Masters for his first major championship.
PGA champion
Wins the PGA Championship at Baltusrol.
Two more Masters
Adds Masters victories to make three Green Jackets.
Open Championship
Wins The Open at Muirfield in Scotland.
Oldest major winner
Wins the PGA Championship at age 50 years and 11 months.
45 PGA TOUR wins
Completes a career spanning multiple generations of competitors.
Signature achievements
Documented milestones from across the player’s career.
PGA TOUR
45 victories
An official career total of 45 PGA TOUR wins.
Major championships
Six titles
Won the Masters three times, the PGA Championship twice and The Open once.
Masters Tournament
2004, 2006, 2010
Three Green Jackets established him as one of Augusta’s leading champions.
The Open
2013
Won at Muirfield with a strong closing performance in links conditions.
PGA Championship
2005 and 2021
The second win made him the oldest men’s major champion at the time.
Team golf
Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup
Represented the United States over a career spanning more than two decades.
Playing style and legacy
What distinguished the player and how the career shaped the sport.
Mickelson’s signature strengths are the high, soft short-game shot, creative recovery play and an appetite for aggressive lines. His approach can produce spectacular saves and birdies, but also brings risk when the chosen line leaves little margin for error.
Six majors and 45 PGA TOUR wins give the career its statistical spine. His 2021 PGA title added a rare late-career peak and reinforced his place among the major champions whose longevity reshaped expectations about age in elite golf.
