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.

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.

Phil Mickelson has not been the most beloved person in golf for a while now. His public departure from the PGA Tour resulted in a self-imposed exile, which didn’t help reform his public perception. This made him public enemy number one for a while.

At this time, stories started to come forward about his interactions, and one particular story caught the eye of the golf world in a good way for once.

Tour hopeful Mark Baldwin had reached out to Mickelson asking for help with his short game. Putting was a woeful experience for him, and he wanted the guidance of someone who had been excellent at it for years.

Ultimately, Mickelson, just be kind to Baldwin, agreed to help. The two began training, and it appears to have paid off, at least according to the pair. They’ve also struck up a bit of a friendship as well.

Baldwin shared a clip showcasing a young golfer struggling to get his ball out of the bunker. It was pretty hilarious, and Mickelson couldn’t help but crack a joke at Baldwin’s expense.

The LIV Golf star joked:

It was a playful tease, one that certainly wouldn’t be shared if the two didn’t have a strong relationship. Baldwin is a much stronger putter now thanks to Mickelson, who is slowly, but surely redeeming himself in the public eye.

Amateur Nick Dunlap, already a PGA Tour winner, has turned professional and will make his pro debut at Pebble Beach.

Sound familiar?

Well, Dunlap, the Alabama sophomore who last Sunday at The American Express became the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event in over three decades, isn’t the first amateur Tour champ to launch his pro career on the iconic Monterey Peninsula links. In fact, Phil Mickelson, who won the 1991 Northern Telecom Open as an Arizona State junior, also debuted at Pebble.

Unlike Dunlap, who declared Thursday that he’d be forfeiting his remaining college eligibility in time for next week’s AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Mickelson opted to return to school for a fourth year. He ended up a four-time All-American and three-time NCAA individual champion. Mickelson then turned pro and qualified for 1992 U.S. Open via final qualifying at Farmington Country Club in Germantown, Tennessee.

“I’m just excited because I can’t think of a better place to start a professional career than Pebble Beach and the U.S. Open,” Mickelson told reporters that day.

“I think I can look back on this day 20, 30 years from now on the start of my professional career and say, ‘I birdied my first hole in my professional debut. Shot 68 in that round in the United States Open Championship.’ I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome,” Mickelson told reporters before later adding, “I’m just trying to figure out how to play a good second round now.”

Of course, Mickelson wouldn’t figure it out – at least that week. He backed up his 68 with an 81. He doubled the par-4 11^th, tripled the par-4 third and carded just one birdie, at the par-5 18^th hole.

Five years later, Mickelson got his winning moment at Pebble, winning the Pro-Am in 1998. He’d add wins at Pebble in 2005, 2007, 2012 and 2019.

that his pre-round routine has become only more important as he’s aged.

“Usually, before tournaments, before I play, I’m in the gym doing some kind of stretching, physical therapy,” Mickelson told GOLF’s Dylan Dethier on the latest episode of Warming Up (check out the full episode below). “But a lot of times, at home, I’ll just go out and play early rounds, and so I leave these [bands] on my cart or in my golf bag.”

For Mickelson, getting some reps in with resistance bands is an easy way to prepare his body for the rigors of tournament play.

“There’s basic exercises that I have to do to get my body kind of activated before I go play,” he said. “So, I have these bands and I’ll just latch them onto the edge of the cart.”

Check out Mickelson’s favorite pre-round moves with resistance bands below.

19-year-old college star Nick Dunlap is on the brink of becoming the first amateur to win a PGA Tour event since Phil Mickelson 31 years ago in 1991.

Dunlap is in the field at this week’s American Express in California, and heads into Sunday’s final round three shots ahead of second-place Sam Burns at the top of the leaderboard. The youngster finds himself there after carding a remarkable 12-under-par round of 60 on Saturday.

Dunlap made 10 birdies and one eagle during his third round masterclass, to put himself 18 holes away from PGA Tour history heading into the fourth and final round.

The teenager is already no stranger to the limelight, after being crowned U.S. Amateur champion last summer. In doing so Dunlap became only the second golfer to win both the U.S. Amateur and U.S. Junior Amateur, alongside the arguably the sport’s greatest ever player in Tiger Woods.

Now the 19-year-old has his sights set on matching Woods’ great rival Mickelson too, who won his first PGA Tour event at the 1991 Northern Telecom Open before turning pro. Unsurprisingly Dunlap enjoyed himself out on the course during Saturday’s third round.

Speaking afterwards, he said: “It was a blast. Honestly, like my caddie Hunter said it a million times today, there’s no time like the present. I think it’s easy — the putter felt so good. Everything — the hole looked like a funnel. You got a par-five next hole, I’m going to do this and this.

“He did a really good job of keeping me settled and keeping me where I was. Ultimately, just kind of kept putting shots together and ended up with a pretty good round.”

There is still plenty of work to do for the youngster, with two of the PGA Tour’s biggest names breathing down his neck.

Ryder Cup star Burns finds himself three shots adrift, whilst multiple major champion Justin Thomas is a further shot back after carding an 11-under 61 of his own. Asked what it would mean to get over the line come Sunday evening, Dunlap added: “Gosh, I don’t know that I can put it into words.

“I think it’s easy to go there, but I think — I don’t know. It’s going to be hard, it’s going to be something that I haven’t experienced yet, obviously, on the PGA Tour. We’ve got a good game plan for that golf course, and just kind of go out there and do us and stay in the present, like Hunter says, and go from there.”

Phil Mickelson is probably the second biggest name in the professional golf circuit after Tiger Woods. He has recorded 57 professional wins which includes 45 on the PGA Tour and 11 on the DP World Tour. His tournament wins stats also include 6 major titles.

The lefty golfer has recorded wins and garnered tons of money side by side. Although his net worth figures differ in different sources, it is yet estimated to be close to $400 million. His endorsement deals last year earned him around $2 million as per Forbes.

Phil Mickelson’s sponsors portfolio has some established brands in the market. It includes Grayhawk Golf Club, headwear company Melin, America-based clothing line Mizzen+Main, and Intrepid Financial Partners. He also has endorsement deals with premium watch manufacturer Rolex and an airline company VistaJet.

The six-time major champion also had endorsement deals with Ford Motors, ExxonMobil, KPMG, Callaway Golf, Amgen, and Enbrel. He also had a 15-year-long sponsorship deal with Barclays that ended back in 2016.

Exploring Phil Mickelson’s Business Ventures

The lefty golfer does not just have brilliant short-game skills on the course, he also has a great business mind off the course. He has invested in several profit-making business ventures throughout his life. He has put a huge share of his money into six golf courses across Arizona which fetches him enormous profit.

Mickelson also started a coffee manufacturing company, For Wellness, alongside his long-time friend and Jon Rahm’s coach, Dave Phillipe. The company has a large variety of food and other beverages in its collection. He is often seen endorsing his brand on his social media handles.

Apart from business ventures, the 53-year-old American golfer is also fond of writing. He has written several books illustrating his professional golf career and personal life. His most famous book, ‘One Magical Sunday‘ focused a lot on how he managed his personal and professional life.

The former PGA Tour golfer, Phil Mickelson, has achieved everything a golfer would want from his life. His trophy cabinet is full of important tournament titles. His bank account is certainly full of money. There is nothing he would wish for in his career now.

A historic moment is in the making! What else can we dub the ascension of Nick Dunlap on the leaderboard of the 2024 American Express? However, there’s a catch to the story. He’s not a professional in the game but an amateur who entered the tournament via a sponsor’s exemption. Well, that’s what makes it all the more exciting. Even Phil Mickelson agrees!

The athlete would be hoping to card his first victory on the PGA Tour at the tournament across the three diverse courses on the PGA West grounds in La Quinta, California. However, while doing so, he would be able to stand amongst a list of golfers who achieved a marvelous feat in the sport, the last of which was none other than Mickelson!

Nick Dunlap set to follow in Phil Mickelson’s footsteps

The hype in the golfing world is at an all-time high as the third event on the 2024 PGA Tour calendar is reaching its climax. But if Dunlap manages to clinch a victory at the event, then he would become the first amateur to win on the men’s circuit in 32 years, following the likes of Mickelson. Even the LIV Golf Pro was all praise for the 20-year-old, who could become the second-youngest winner in the past ninety years.

“Nick Dunlap has a real shot this weekend to be the next amateur to win a Tour event,” he said in his tweet before continuing to talk about how the likes of Ludvig Aberg, Caleb Surratt, Min Woo Lee, Gordon Sargent, and Dunlap are the “youngest and most talented group of players” he has seen. Moreover, he even dubbed them nothing short of “a force for decades.” Well, it seems he still appreciates talent on the PGA Tour despite jumping ships to LIV Golf!

Every golf fan knows about the raging rivalry between Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. The two golf legends have time and again exchanged sharp words against each other. Furthermore, their matchups on the golf course were always a spectacle to behold. However, sometimes they had to rely on each other for a win.

This fact may come as a surprise to fans, as many consider golf to be an individual sport. But in the past, Mickelson had to rely on an equipment manufacturer, one which turned out to be the prime choice of Tiger Woods.

A time when Phil Mickelson depended on Tiger Woods’s choice to play

During his final years of competing in the PGA Tour, Mickelson left everyone shocked over his choice of equipment. He was competing in the PGA Championship at the Kiawah Island Golf Resort and opted for a piece of equipment preferred by Woods. By doing this, he proved why he deserved to be at the top as the PGA Tour’s most habitual equipment experimenter.

Lefty brought out a Mini Driver alongside his trustworthy Callaway Epic Speed driver. Surprisingly, his new club was a TaylorMade Original One Mini driver with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7x shaft. “I have been using it [the Mini One] a reasonable amount,” he said. With this new club from TaylorMade in his bag, Mickelson had a smooth run in the PGA Championship.

He shot a final-round 73 to capture the tournament, defeating Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen by two strokes, becoming the oldest major champion at 50. After winning in May with the TaylorMade mini driver, Mickelson got a TaylorMade 300 Mini Driver for his next major, the US Open. Coincidently, TaylorMade was also the choice of Tiger Woods.

Close relations between Woods and TaylorMade

Since 2017, Woods has been using equipment made by TaylorMade. Apart from his putter, the 48-year-old prefers to use TaylorMade. Furthermore, the two of them are also entering a new phase of their partnership now.

Rumors have it that Tiger Woods is looking to revitalize his Sunday Red brand under the TaylorMade umbrella. If this happens, this will mark another collaboration between TaylorMade and Woods, with them previously coming together to make P7-TW Irons and PopStroke golf.

While the speculations are still running high, one thing is for certain. What in the past was Tiger Woods’s choice of equipment manufacturer played a major role in his rival Phil Mickelson’s record-breaking victory.