Phil Mickelson

Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer who currently plays in the LIV Golf League and is suspended from the PGA Tour and PGA Tour Champions. 

Mickelson was born on 16 June 1970 to Phil Mickelson Sr. and Mary Mickelson. His father was an airline pilot and his mother was a naval aviator. 

Mickelson was born in San Diego but he grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

Nicknamed 'Lefty', Mickelson as two siblings. He has one brother called Tim - who is now his caddie - and a sister called Tina. 

Mickelson began playing golf before he even started school. He honed his skills in his back garden after being introduced to the game by his father. 

Mickelson graduated from the University of San Diego High School in 1988. He later attended Arizona State University. 

He had a superb collegiate career where he won three NCAA individual championships in 1990, 1991, and 1992. 

Mickelson turned professional shortly after he graduated in 1992 and a short time later made his PGA Tour debut. 

Lefty had a two-year exemption with the PGA Tour owing to his stunning victory as an amateur at the Northern Telecom Open in Tucson. 

It was at this point in history that Mickelson employed his legendary caddie Jim "Bones" Mackay, who now loops for Justin Thomas. 

During this two-year period Mickelson won multiple PGA Tour events but struggled to get over the line in major championships. 

Mickelson had to wait 13 years until he claimed his first major victory at the 2004 Masters where he claimed the coveted green jacket with a birdie putt at the 72nd hole. 

As of December 2022, Mickelson has won six major championships. 

Mickelson has won 45 times on the PGA Tour, 11 times on the European Tour and four times on the PGA Tour Champions. 

His major championship victories are:

Masters: 2004, 2006, 2010

PGA Championship: 2005, 2021

The Open: 2013

Mickelson has never won the U.S. Open. The closes he came was in 1999 where he placed T-2. 

Arguably, Mickelson's finest achievement to date came when he won the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island. 

He became the oldest men's player to win a major at 50 years and 11 months. 

Mickelson is currently suspended from the PGA Tour owing to his association with the LIV Golf League, which is bankrolled through Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund. 

Mickelson memorably told a journalist that although he acknowledged the Saudis had murdered reporter Jamal Khashoggi and executed gay people, he supported LIV because it offered an opportunity to re-shape the PGA Tour. 

This led to Mickelson taking some time away from the spotlight. 

When he returned to professional golf in June 2022, Mickelson confirmed he had signed a $200m multi-year deal to play in the LIV Golf League. 

It is not the only scandal Mickelson has been caught up in. 

In 2014 the Wall Street Journal reported that the FBI and SEC were investigating Mickelson over insider trading. 

Mickelson denied wrongdoing but he was later fined $931,000. His associate Billy Walters was convicted and jailed. 

During Walters' trial, it was noted that Mickelson owed him $2m in gambling debts. 

Outside of golf Mickelson spends the majority of his time with his wife Amy.

The couple have three children; Amanda, Sophia and Evan. 

Amy Mickelson was born Amy McBride in 1972. She met Mickelson in 1992 whilst at Arizona State University. 

As of December 2022, Mickelson has earned $96,470,603 in PGA Tour career earnings. 

He currently resides in Rancho Sata Fe, California. Mickelson was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012. 

As of 2022, his net worth was believed to be in the region of $300m. 

He has many sponsors, although some parted ways with Mickelson due to the fallout from his LIV Golf remarks. 

Mickelson was dropped by Workday. Callaway paused their sponsorship of the golfer. KPMG and Heineken/Amstel also axed Mickelson. 

Throughout 2022, Mickelson played in every single LIV Golf invitational as the captain of the Hy Flyers GC side, earning $1,825,350.