Phil Mickelson dunks on PGA Tour hopeful with short game jibe

Phil Mickelson has had a rough couple of years in the public eye. 

In early 2022 he went into a self-imposed exile from the game after making some eyebrow-raising comments about Saudia Arabia and the PGA Tour. 

When he returned it was clear he was a shadow of his former self. He had gained weight and was still attracting a great deal of flak. 

Then came a slew of tell-all books about his gambling and personal issues.

Apparently before the 2023 Masters, he sat quietly at the champions' dinner and didn't engage any of his fellow green jacket holders in conversation. 

Mickelson, in a recent interview before LIV Golf's third season, claimed he knew he was going to have a rough couple of years. 

He now looks fitter than ever and the 53-year-old six times major winner believes 2024 can be a big year for him. 

One of the aforementioned 'tell-all' books about Mickelson went into detail about what Lefty is allegedly really like behind-the-scenes. 

So the story goes: he is kind, easy-going, friendly, approachable and generous.

He's also vindictive, narcissistic and often curt. Particularly with reporters. 

One story caught golf fans' attention in November and that was Mickelson gladly helping out PGA Tour hopeful Mark Baldwin. 

Ryan French, aka MondayQInfo on X, reached out to Lefty on behalf of Baldwin to see if he would help him prepare for Q-School. 

He didn't expect a reply but Mickelson then offered Baldwin the opportunity to spend an entire weekend together working on his game. 

When it was all over, Baldwin claimed it was 'the coolest' experience of his life. 

We bet it was.

You can read the full story from Baldwin's perspective here. Unfortunately Baldwin came up short at Q-School. 

It has been suggested Mickelson only did this to try and get back in golf's good graces. You'll have your own opinion on that. 

But it appears Mickelson and Baldwin have now struck up a friendship. 

So much so that Mickelson is more than happy to send a few zingers to the golfer over social media. 

Just like this one:

Reminds me of you 3 months ago

(Not anymore more though )

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) January 29, 2024

Read more:

• Dustin Johnson sinks to remarkable career low on eve of 2024 LIV Golf season
• Viktor Hovland deals LIV Golf big blow with blunt two-word response to transfer
• Bryson DeChambeau doubles down on LIV Golf claim he made two years ago
• Lefty preps for new season by doing the most Phil thing ever in friendly match