Phil Mickelson is a professional American golfer who was born on June 16, 1970 in San Diego, California. From joining the professional golf tour in 1992, Mickelson has won 44 events on the PGA tour, a PGA Championship, and an Open Championship. Throughout his life, Mickelson has spent a consecutive 25 years in the top 50 rankings of professional golfers, even reaching rank 2 multiple times.
Mickelson first picked up a golf club at 18 months old, and with the help of his father, grew into one of the world's greatest golfers. Before winning over 40 events on the PGA Tour, Mickelson also racked up many amatuer and NCAA wins.
Throughout his career, Mickelson has earned over $375 million in prize money and endorsements. He currently endorses many companies, including KPMG, ExxonMobil, Rolex, Callaway Golf, and more. Mickelson's long time contribution to the professional golf world reflects his true talent.
Before attending Arizona State University, Mickelson won dozens of junior golfer tournaments in the San Diego area. He was titled as Junior Player of the Year in 1986, 1987, and 1988. At Arizona State University, Mickelson won three national individual championships in 1989, 1990, and 1992. In 1990, Phil also won the U.S. Amateur Championship. The following year, he won the Northern Telecom Open, becoming the fourth amateur ever to win a PGA event.
In 2001, Mickelson ranked 2nd worldwide, right behind Tiger Woods. In the following decade, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson went head to head as competitors. Mickelson was a fantastic golfer placing in the top 10 at major events, but was unable to win 1st.
In 2004, Mickelson finally won his first major event by beating Ernie Els by one stroke in the 2004 Masters. Throughout the rest of 2004, he placed in the top 6 in the other major events. His continuous success was evidence that he was improving tournament by tournament.
In the late 2000's, Mickelson really kicked it into gear. He won the PGA Championship, Masters Tournament, Players Championship, and Tour Championship between 2005 and 2009. As he got older, he still proved his talent by winning the 2013 British Open. After a long dry spell with no victories, Mickelson won the 2018 WGC-Mexico Championship after an intense playoff hole with Justin Thomas.
In 2005, Mickelson won the PGA Championship. The following year, he won the Masters, proving himself as a high-stakes competitor. In 2010, Mickelson won the Masters yet again, tying 3 others as the third highest career total in the Master's history.
After his third green jacket victory, Mickelson struggled to find more career wins. Although he won smaller events from 2010 to 2012, it wasn't until 2013 when Mickelson came back from a 5 shot deficit to claim the British Open.
Mickelson was ranked among the top 50 for 1,338 consecutive weeks. This is the longest streak in the history of golf, with the second-longest streak belonging to Ernie Els. Ernie Els placed in the top 50 for 965, and Rory McIlroy tails in third place at 556 weeks.
Phil Mickelson was born June 16, 1970 to parents Phil Mickelson Sr. and Mary Mickelson. Phil Mickelson Sr. was an airline pilot, which provided him a lot of time to teach his son the sport of golf at a young age. His father even developed a small short-game facility in their backyard so Phil could practice while he was gone.
In 1988, Phil graduated from the University of San Diego High School and then was recruited to Arizona State University on a golf scholarship the following year.
Phil met his wife Amy while he was a superstar golfer for Arizona State University. In 1996, they became married and have been together ever since. Amy and Phil have 3 children, Amanda, Sophia and Evan. Amanda was their first born, and was actually born a day after Phil came in second at the 1999 US Open.
Phil Mickelson has more PGA wins than most golfers, so picking out a specific victory is difficult. In an interview with Golf Magazine, Mickelson said that his greatest accomplishment is winning the Open. He said that he played a different style in that tournament compared to what he normally played. In the interview, he also explained that the 2004 Masters will always be the most important to him, because it was his first major victory.
Although Mickelson just turned 50, he has no interest in joining the senior league yet. He has competed in multiple tournaments in 2020, including the Farmers Insurance Open, the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and even the PGA Championship. He tied for third place in the Saudi International tournament, and even came in 3rd at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Mickelson's partners include Callaway, Intrepid Financial Partners, KPMG, Exxon Mobil, Rolex, Grayhawk, Greenbrier, and Amgen. Through his endorsements, he has grossed over $40 million. He is ranked #50 on Forbes "World's Highest Paid Celebrities" list and is ranked #12 for highest paid athletes. In 2010, Mickelson was prescribed the drug Enbrel after being diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. The company that produces Enbrel, Amgen, signed an agreement with Mickelson to promote the drug and spread awareness.
In 2005, Phil and Amy Mickelson created the Phil & Amy Foundation. They have donated thousands of dollars to both military and education programs. One of their programs, the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teachers Academy, provides resources to teach 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders about math and science. Phil believes that golf has provided him with opportunities to do a lot of things for a lot of people, and he is appreciative of that.