Phil Mickelson Leaves LIV Golf Announcer Speechless With His Actions at $20M Indianapolis Event

“He just never ceases to amaze,” is that the commentator said about Phil Mickelson after his most recent short-range master stroke. There are very few golfers in the world who can say that they have perfected the art of the short game better than the 55-year-old veteran. His ability with the wedges off the tall grass and roughs is what helped him keep up with Tiger Woods during both their primes. Even today, Mickelson is able to execute the skill that he has mastered ever so perfectly. And fans in Indianapolis got an amazing glimpse of that in the first round of the $20 million event.

Playing in the last LIV Golf event of the 2025 season, before the Team Championships, the veteran golfer put himself pickle. His ball landed in the shallow water just outside the left rough, a few feet from the cup. Mickelson had the option to take the drop since more than half the ball was under the water. However, as bold as he is, as many saw in the Mizzen+Main commercial, he decided to hit the ball from where it landed. And for anyone who knows how good the 6-time major winner is with his wedges, they could anticipate what happened next.

Mickelson chipped the ball perfectly for it to bounce off the green only a few feet away from the hole. However, he ended up missing the putt from around 7 feet. Scored a par on the par-5 hole in the end to finish the hole. However, his brave shot gave him a shot at a birdie, something that not many other golfers will have the courage to do. Golf on Fox shared the clip of his wedge shot with the caption, “TAKE A BOW! 👏,” acknowledging Mickelson’s brilliance. LIV Golf also commented on the post, commending the veteran golfer’s abilities by saying, “PHILNominal!”

But did the excellent shot help Phil Mickelson come close to contention for LIV Golf Indianapolis 2025? Well, he is sitting at 12th with a 4-under 67, tied with the likes of Jon Rahm and Bryson DeChambeau. Judging by the leaderboard, all three of them will have a tough time chasing down the man who stole the show in the first round at The Club at Chatham Hills.

Who is Phil Mickelson’s toughest opponent at LIV Golf Indianapolis 2025?

The first day of LIV Golf Indianapolis 2025 was completely action-packed. The likes of Joaquin Niemann, Patrick Reed, and Cameron Smith all got to the top of the leaderboard. They managed to score a 7-under 64 and are tied for third place right now. Niemann, who is fighting hard to keep his lead on the Individual Leaderboard for the season, is currently sitting 3 strokes ahead of his rival, Rahm, after the end of 18 holes.

2 strokes ahead of them, it’s the 4Aces GC captain, Dustin Johnson, who is solo second on the leaderboard. Johnson only had 1 bogey throughout the day, but managed to score 10 birdies to make a formidable 9-under 62 at the end of day 1. However, the most prolific performance of the day came from Niemann’s teammate, Sebastian Muñoz. The pro from Colombia scored an unbelievable 14 birdies in 18 holes. His record-breaking score was only derailed by a double-bogey on the 5th hole. Muñoz ended round one with a 12-under 59, 3 strokes ahead of the field and a favorite to win the tournament.