Call Lefty what you will. Phil Mickelson has heard it all in his three-decade-long career. But the 53-year-old golfer, much maligned for his cunningness to always be on the right side of a lucrative deal, still has a sponsor who pays him a meager $3000 a year. It’s not a compulsion, mind you. The oldest major winner does this out of honor and gratitude to a sponsor who trusted him when he was a nobody.

Phil Mickelson now has big wheels such as KPMG, Callaway, Rolex, and Vistajet as his sponsors. But you might have still noticed the Grayhawk Golf Club logo donning his bag. You might know Arizona’s top golf club for its architectural brilliance and for hosting the NCAA Division I championship. But did you know about Phil Mickelson’s decade-long ties with the course?

Phil Mickelson honors his first sponsorship to this date

Phil Mickelson’s partnership with the Grayhawk Golf Club dates back to the 1990s. The 45-time PGA Tour winner is a friend of Gregg Tryhus, the developer of the course and Grayhawk’s captain of Club Del Cochran.

In fact, Mickelson was the PGA Tour ambassador of the golf course when it opened. The three-year deal for $10,000 was the first sponsorship agreement he signed—an agreement he reportedly honors to this day.

As per LIV Golf Nation, Lefty was the brain behind some of the changes in the course as well. “Grayhawk even implemented some of Mickelson’s suggestions around the greens,” tweeted the X handle. The LIV Golf Pro “has honored this sponsorship throughout his illustrious career as a gesture of goodwill.”

Furthermore, Phil Mickelson was a three-time winner of the NCAA Individual Championship. So, fans can find memorabilia ranging from his old Persimmons driver that he used in his junior golf days to his crowing achievements in the Majors at the Grayhawk’s Sports Pub and Restaurant. Rightly named Phill’s Grill, the cafe offers sprawling views of the course. Curiously enough, Grayhawk was sure Mickelson would cut ties with them; however, he refused.

Mickelson’s gesture of goodwill

Mickelson’s first deal with the Grayhawk Golf Club started in 1992 and lasted for three years. But Mickelson became a hotshot by 1995, winning four PGA Tour events. By that time, Lefty had also donned Team USA’s jersey in the 1995 Ryder Cup. But Grayhawk hasn’t made a name for itself, and it became impossible for them to pay a hefty amount to the rising star.

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