‘Find the Right Balance’: Phil Mickelson Once Revealed His Urge To ‘Re-Evaluate Things’ That Eventually Led Him To Win Another Major After a Rough Patch

Despite Tiger Woods stealing most wins from under his nose, Phil Mickelson has always enjoyed playing golf. His love for good competition made him happy whenever he won it against his all-time rival or anyone else. However, the always playful Mickelson, too, had once faced a lump in his career, where he was forced to re-consider his gameplay so he could continue playing the sport he loves. 

“If I don’t play well early on,” he said a week ahead of The American Express in 2021. “I’ll start to re-evaluate things,” he added. 

What made Phil Mickelson reassess himself in 2021?

Although he got 30 top-10 finishes in a row on the PGA Tour, Lefty was unable to convert any of them to victory in 2020. Hence, he was not in high spirits when he talked to the media at the beginning of 2021, where Mickelson explained he would want to “re-evaluate things.” 

“Maybe play a few more events on the Champions Tour,” the California-based golfer said. Notably, Phil Mickelson had a good start at the PGA Tour Champions, the Senior Tour, in 2020. And hence, he wanted to try things differently or play more Senior Tour events to get a PGA Tour victory. “Because what’s fun for me is competing, getting in contention, and trying to win tournaments,” he added.

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Mickelson explained what changes he wanted to implement in 2021 to get his target. “I find myself just internally motivated because of my love to compete and my love to try to bring out the best in me,” he said. “I’m trying to find the right balance.”

Did Lefty’s strategy help him get a win in the 2021 season?

It would be an understatement to say that Phil Mickelson’s ‘re-evaluation strategy’ worked for him. It helped him break records on both the PGA and the Senior Tours in 2021. 

He won the 2021 PGA Championship, his sixth major, at 50. With his win, Lefty broke the record of Julius Boros (48) and became the oldest ever to win a major. 

On the other hand, Mickelson also won Charles Schwab Cup Championship in 2021. His victory helped him match Jack Nicklaus‘ record of winning 4 wins with the fewest starts on the Champions Tour (6). 

Mickelson was worried before the beginning of 2021 about his game. However, he got better than good results from it after he kept his gameplay in check. Now that he joined the LIV Golf and has yet to win one event, do you think he will use the same strategy and become successful in the upcoming season? 

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