KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Clobbering Father Time, bullying big bad Brooks Koepka and getting the better of Pete Dye’s bruiser hard by the sea, Phil Mickelson etched his name in golf’s historical record with a staggering victory Sunday in the 103rd PGA Championship.
While doubters waited for Mickelson to falter, seeing as he hadn’t won since 2019, hadn’t finished top 10 in a major since 2016 and recently sought out meditation to deal with focus issues, he didn’t lose his concentration nor his balance during a rollercoaster round on the harsh, windswept Ocean Course at Kiawah Island to become the oldest major championship winner ever.
After sleeping on a one-shot lead, Mickelson, 200-1 to win on Thursday and a few weeks from turning 51, survived a helter-skelter first 10 holes where he and playing partner Koepka exchanged body blows to the tune of four two-shot swings and one three-shot swing and then didn’t stagger despite a few more thrills and spills on the back nine and signed for a 1-over 73 to win by two shots.
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Inspired by the boisterous pro-Phil galleries, the People’s Champion won his sixth major and supplanted Julius Boros, who won the 1968 PGA Championship at 48, as the oldest to win a major.