Phil Mickelson Once Promised His Mother He’d Make ‘Enough Dimes’ in His Life for an Extremely Selfless Reason

Phil Mickelson is one of the most polarizing figures in golf. The LIV rebel has often been criticized for his backlash over his former home tour. But among all the pessimistic opinions, Mickelson remains an adoring family man. His brother and caddie, Tim, once spoke about Phil’s remarkable work ethic at a young age, which eventually resulted in a gift for their mother.

Phil Mickelson and his peculiar dime story

The younger of the Mickelson brothers, Tim spoke about a variety of topics pertaining to ‘Lefty’ earlier this year. Among those stories, he had a wonderful tale regarding their childhood days, when their mother, Mary Mickelson, had a simple trick to make her sons practice regularly.

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According to Tim, the backyard of the Mickelson household formed the first course for the budding golfers. Their father was a strict disciplinarian for his young sons, creating a challenging putting green for them.

But the older Mickelson wasn’t to be stopped. ‘Lefty’ made his ambitions clear from a very young age, and he worked hard for them, starting from his backyard.

As Tim stated in the podcast, his mother had a simple way to lure his brother. “I know there was a time where Phil, if Phil made a hole in one in the backyard, so 15-, 20-yard shot, he would get a dime or a nickel — I forget which. I think it was a dime,” Tim said.

Ten cents was all it took for the 52-year-old to spend his whole day practicing his putt. While Tim wasn’t so unforgiving of himself, he had an interesting anecdote to reveal between his brother and mother.

Mickelson’s firm promise to his mother

According to Tim, ‘Lefty’ had made a bold promise to his mother. “But he had told my mom once, I’m going to make enough dimes in this backyard that I’m going to buy you a Mercedes,” Tim said.

As a young child, the vow bewildered Tim. “And I was young enough to go, well if you’re going to make enough to buy the Mercedes, why doesn’t Mom just go buy the Mercedes herself?” he said.

However, Mickelson’s vastly successful career was enough to keep the promise. The 6-time major championship winner once won the Tournament of Champions at La Costa, which was sponsored by Mercedes. As a nod to his victory, Mickelson was awarded a car from the German company, which he duly gifted to his mother, thus keeping his years-long promise.

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