It was earlier this year when Phil Mickelson took a dig at world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler and posted, “Here’s a hot take. Does Scottie win in 2025 before the Ryder Cup? I don’t think so.” The remark raised eyebrows across the golf world, with many questioning whether it was just playful banter or a sign of something deeper. And then Mickelson followed this up with another dig at Scheffler around the time when Joaquin Niemann was put against Scheffler in a comparison. When someone floated the idea that Niemann deserved to be in the top five in the world, Mickelson didn’t hold back and responded, “Top 5? Try #1.”

While all this happened in March, Kevin Kisner demanded an update from Lefty after witnessing Scheffler’s sheer dominance at Portrush, where he is leading the field by 4 strokes, entering the Championship Sunday. And Mickelson admitted that he was wrong. Publicly, on X.

“Kiz, my man. I’ve never been afraid to make mistakes on the course or off, knowing I’ll have to deal with scrutiny from the public, media, or social media. I’ve already acknowledged I was wrong on this,” he said. “This is a good example of why so many people are afraid to put themselves out there and compete or take risks because they know it’ll be thrown back in their face and they can’t handle it. Fortunately, that’s not ever been my problem. But others struggle dealing with the heat and scrutiny that professional sports and being in the public eye brings and drives many away from the game, which is too bad but is reality for so many,” Mickelson wrote.

Mickelson isn’t the one to shy away or admit he was wrong. He didn’t hold back when Scheffler won the PGA Championship in May. “Congrats to Scottie Scheffler on an incredible performance. Clearly #1 in the world,” Mickelson posted on X, hinting that he was in the wrong when he demanded Niemann to be declared No.1. He acknowledges that he was at fault when he took several digs at Scottie. While it prompted some fans and analysts to speculate whether Mickelson’s comments were fueling the fire, others believed it was part of Mickelson’s ongoing campaign to elevate LIV players into the mainstream conversation.

While it’s still uncertain of Mickelson’s intent with his frequent digs at Scheffler, a chance where many players would retaliate, Scheffler chose to stay silent, and instead, his performances on the course did most of the talking.

Scottie Scheffler’s dominant run silenced Mickelson

When Mickelson posted his initial dig at Scheffler not having a win before the Ryder Cup, it was around the time of the 2025 PLAYERS Championship. Scheffler didn’t do well at the tournament and carded a 4-under score, which led him to finish tied 20th. But after that, things changed.

We saw Scheffler bring back his dominant form. Since the ‘fifth major’, Scheffler hasn’t finished out of the top ten in any of the events. In fact, out of the ten events he has finished within the top-5 in six events, including three wins — the CJ Cup, the PGA Championship, and the Memorial Tournament.

Scheffler even leads the field with the lowest scoring average of 68.45, and in the strokes gained from tee to green (2.64). Even last year, Scheffler’s scoring average was 68.01, which was the lowest in the modern era and better than any of Tiger Woods‘s seasons. His only over-par rounds after TPC Sawgrass or even this year were at Oakmont, when he carded 73 & 71 on the first two days. The quiet momentum has even continued at Royal Portrush, where Scheffler is currently in the lead after shooting 14-under over three days.

With his current performance, Scheffler has joined Tiger Woods in a rare feat to become the first World No.1 to hold the lead in a major after 36 holes. And if Scheffler wins on Sunday, we can expect another post from Mickelson, probably still embarrassed about his earlier digs.

With his win, Scottie will be just a major close to becoming the seventh Grand Slam Champion!