US PGA Championship: Phil Mickelson owes much to brother Tim after creating major history

Phil Mickelson and his brother and caddie TimEPA

Phil Mickelson is one of a number of players using family relatives as a caddie

By Iain Carter
BBC golf correspondent

When Phil Mickelson fired a sparkling first-round 64 at Quail Hollow earlier this month he told his brother and caddie, Tim, that he was sure he was ready to win again.

Those words probably seemed rather hollow during the days that followed. The veteran left-hander stumbled to rounds of 75-76-76 to finish a miserable 69th, a result perfectly in keeping with his seemingly inexorably deteriorating status.

But within a couple of weeks Mickelson was proven correct in spectacular and historic fashion by claiming his sixth major title in the month prior to his 51st birthday.

Victory in the US PGA Championship at Kiawah Island on Sunday made him golf's oldest major winner.

And now the 50-year-old is dreaming and perhaps believing he can become just the sixth player to complete the career Grand Slam at next month's US Open in his home town of San Diego.

Regardless of whether he succeeds, Mickelson has emphatically demonstrated golf's unique capacity to reward players of all ages. He succeeds Collin Morikawa, 27 years younger and one the sport's most exciting young talents, as PGA champion.

"I believed for a long time that I could play at this level again," Mickelson insisted after Sunday's victory. "I didn't see why I couldn't, but I wasn't executing the way I believed I could."

And that belief was tested to the limit during the tumultuous and dramatic final round that unfolded in an unforgettable 103rd PGA Championship.

Reuters

The importance of a strong caddie was in evidence again this week as Tim helped Phil to a historic major win

Indeed, it took a largely unseen intervention from the champion's caddie to keep his title quest on track.

There was a point when Tim Mickelson wondered whether if his sibling might be about to fade from contention, despite holding a one-shot lead after 54 holes and enjoying a perfect warm-up to the final round.

Heading to the seventh tee, the brothers were fearing the worst. Phil was still in front and had gained momentum by pitching in from the sand for birdie at the par-three fifth, but something was not right.

"I made some uncommitted swings the first six holes," the player admitted before crediting his closest confidant for making a crucial contribution.

"He pulled me aside and said, 'If you're going to win this thing, you're going to have to make committed golf swings'," Mickelson said.

"It hit me in the head, I can't make passive [swings], I can't control the outcome, I have to swing committed. The first one I made was the drive on seven."

An old head on an old body suddenly played with the verve of youth and to a level beyond his main and younger rivals, Brooks Koepka (31) and Louis Oosthuizen (38).

And by the end Mickelson was the central figure in what felt like a lockdown coming-out party. Thousands of fans defied the US PGA Championship's Covid-19 protocols and thronged around the closing green, with the champion the absolute focal point.

Koepka was swallowed up by the crowds, angry and discomfited as his fragile knee was banged as he too was swamped on the closing hole.

Such scenes were as unimaginable in the dark days of spectator-free sport as it was to envisage a player who had slumped to 115 in the world ever again lifting one of golf's big four prizes.

But, in truth, it was only when he gingerly lifted the Wanamaker Trophy that Mickelson truly seemed his advanced age. The giant silver cup is one of the heaviest prizes in sport and Mickelson struggled to raise it beyond shoulder height.

"This is maybe his greatest win because of the golf course, the venue, the odds against him," said the player's long-time agent Steve Loy.

The manager had texted his client earlier in the day, saying: "Phil, I'm getting too old for this, but you aren't. Let's get it done."

After the victory, Loy added: "This is, I don't want to say, the final finale. It ain't, he thinks he's 25 years old again."

That is one of the reasons why Mickelson is now turning his concerted attention to Torrey Pines and his 30th attempt to secure the US Open, the one major he has never won. It starts on 17 June, the day after his 51st birthday.

Before last week, he needed a special invitation to be eligible for the year's third major. Now he is exempt for the next five and the invite - that some found questionable - has been rendered redundant.

"I believe that if I stay sharp mentally I can play well at Torrey Pines," Mickelson said. "I'll take two weeks off before that and go out to Torrey and spend time on the greens and really try to be sharp for that week.

"I know that I'm playing well and this could very well be my last really good opportunity to win a US Open. So I'm going to put everything I have into it."

Tim Mickelson believes completing the career Grand Slam is an achievable goal next month. "I don't see why not," said the caddie when assessing his brother's chances in their home city.

Regardless of whether more history is achieved, Mickelson has already given golf another massive injection of interest. Kiawah Island was supposed to be the longest course in major history but it demanded far more than brute force.

The champion's composure and craft around the greens has delighted golfing purists. General sports fans will be captivated by his mammoth hitting from a long, flowing swing that protects an arthritic body from injury and helps him go for broke.

"My desire to play is the same," Mickelson stated. "I've never been driven by exterior things.

"I've always been intrinsically motivated because I love to compete, I love playing the game. I love having opportunities to play against the best at the highest level.

"That's what drives me. The belief that I could still do it inspired me to work harder.

"I just didn't see why it couldn't be done. It just took a little bit more effort."

Those endeavours paid off in spectacular style. And think about this - Kiawah Island, as a golfing challenge, is not far removed from another Pete Dye design, Whistling Straits, the home of this year's Ryder Cup.

Mickelson is back in the frame for Wisconsin and a record 13th successive appearance in the American team. This would previously have been an extraordinary and fanciful prospect in the eyes of most observers, but Mickelson might be less surprised.

After all, he was pretty sure something good was about to happen after Quail Hollow a couple of weeks ago and such confidence was quickly proven extremely well founded.

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