The magician is at it again: Phil Mickelson’s short game wizardry is the stuff of legend, and if you needed a fresh reminder, just watch his latest sleight of hand from the rough at the LIV event in Virginia. With a wildly unconventional stance and angle of attack, “Lefty” holed out in a way that only he could.
The six-time major champion has hinted that the upcoming 125th US Open—his 54th major start—may very well be his last appearance at the national championship. His exemption from winning the 2021 PGA Championship expires after this year, and without another win or high enough ranking, automatic qualification will no longer be guaranteed.
The US Open has long been Mickelson’s white whale. It’s the only major missing from his résumé, the one title that stands between him and the elusive career Grand Slam. That he has finished runner-up six times only adds to the cruel poetry of it all. As he prepares to tee it up once more, just days before his 54th birthday, the question lingers: can golf’s great escape artist pull off one last trick?