Phil Mickelson Reaches Remarkable Major Milestone At PGA Championship
The left-hander made the cut at a Major for the 100th time at Oak Hill Country Club
He might be 10 shots off the lead at the halfway mark of the PGA Championship, but that hasn't stopped Phil Mickelson reaching another incredible golfing milestone in his Hall of Fame career.
The left-hander admitted he "played terrible" over the first two days at Oak Hill Country Club but still did enough to scrape through the cut on the number (+5) and in doing so, created another slice of history.
Already a six-time winner and the oldest player to land one of golf's marquee events, the 52-year-old has now made 100 cuts at Major championships, amazingly from just 119 starts. That places him third on the all-time list behind Jack Nicklaus (131) and Gary Player (102), while Tiger Woods has made the weekend 77 times in Majors from 91 starts.
In addition to that feat, Mickelson also tied the record for the most cuts made in PGA Championship history, joining Nicklaus and Raymond Floyd on 27. It's another reminder of Mickelson's unbelievable longevity, work ethic and self-belief to continue to mix it with the best of the best across several generations.
For reference, Mickelson first made the cut in a Major at the 1990 US Open as an amateur, before Scottier Scheffler, Viktor Hovland and Corey Conners - the three men who lead the PGA Championship after 36 holes - were even born.
Mickelson can, however, count himself fortunate to still be around for the weekend in Rochester, New York, after he narrowly avoided a penalty for a bad drop on Friday thanks to an alert rules official. "He came and saved me a stroke, so I was very appreciative," Mickelson said after the round.
As for the final 36 holes, despite being 10 back, the 52-year-old is looking forward.
Get the Golf Monthly Newsletter
Subscribe to the Golf Monthly newsletter to stay up to date with all the latest tour news, equipment news, reviews, head-to-heads and buyer’s guides from our team of experienced experts.
"The first two days I've played terrible" he added. "I've driven it poorly. I've not felt good with the putter. I haven't chipped great. My irons have been average. It makes me optimistic that I still made the cut playing as poorly as I did, and I think if I can get it turned around, I can make a run."
A lifelong golf fan, Andy graduated in 2019 with a degree in Sports Journalism and got his first role in the industry as the Instruction Editor for National Club Golfer. From there, he decided to go freelance and now covers a variety of topics for Golf Monthly.
Andy took up the game at the age of seven and even harboured ambitions of a career in the professional ranks for a spell. That didn’t pan out, but he still enjoys his weekend golf at Royal Troon and holds a scratch handicap. As a side note, he's made five holes-in-one and could quite possibly be Retief Goosen’s biggest fan.
As well as the above, some of Andy's work has featured on websites such as goal.com, dailyrecord.co.uk, and theopen.com.
What's in Andy's bag?
Driver: Callaway Mavrik Sub-Zero (9°)
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (15°)
Driving iron: Titleist U500 (17°)
Irons: Mizuno mp32 (4-PW)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM9 (50°, 54° and 58°)
Putter: Titleist Scotty Cameron Newport 2.5
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
-
Start Flushing Your Fairway Woods With 3 Super Simple Tips From PGA Pro Peter Finch
Flushing your fairway woods can take your game to the next level, but many amateurs struggle. Peter Finch has three simple tips to utilise these useful clubs
By Peter Finch Published
-
Bubba Watson Makes Hole-In-One To Move In To Contention At Asian Tour Event
Playing the BNI Indonesian Masters for the first time, the two-time Major winner moved firmly into contention on Saturday thanks to an ace at the par 3 11th
By Matt Cradock Published
-
'Wasn't Pretty But Got The Job Done' - Charlie Woods Helps High-School Team Win First Postseason Event
The Benjamin School won the District 13-1A championship by two strokes after Woods came sixth in the individual competition
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
We Spoke To A Leading Back Surgeon About Tiger Woods' Chances Of Returning In 2024. Here Is What He Said...
Woods underwent the sixth back surgery of his career in September, and a top back surgeon in London has outlined the likely timeframe for a full recovery
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Nico Echavarria Beats Tiger Woods Scoring Record On Way To Winning Zozo Championship
The Colombian held off the challenge of Justin Thomas and Max Greyserman via a sublime run of scoring in Japan to land his second PGA Tour title
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Tiger Woods Not In Hero World Challenge Field As 17 Names Announced
The annual event is set to include five of the world's top-10 but has three spaces left to fill before December - including a possible place for host, Woods...
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
PGA Tour Pair Clear Favorites As Early Odds Released For 'The Showdown'
Rory McIlroy and Scottie Scheffler have been strongly tipped to triumph in their exhibition match against LIV golfers Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau
By Jonny Leighfield Published
-
Tiger Woods Announces Latest Golf Course Design Project
Tiger Woods has revealed his latest golf course design project will be called Bluejack Ranch and be based just outside Fort Worth in Texas
By Paul Higham Published
-
The Showdown: Date And Course Set For Las Vegas TV Match Featuring McIlroy, Scheffler, DeChambeau And Koepka
More details on the venue and date for the made-for-TV contest featuring Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka have been released
By Mike Hall Last updated
-
Tiger Woods' Sun Day Red 'Reluctantly' Sues Company Over Logo-Infringement Claims
Sun Day Red has escalated its legal battle with cooling company Tigeraire after the latter filed a notice of objection with the UPTO
By Jonny Leighfield Last updated