I Simply Cannot Get Enough of Phil Mickelson (Part 2)

 Well folks, I'm back.

And as it appears today during the final round of the 2021 PGA Championship, Phil Mickelson never left.

So where to begin with? I guess to recap, April 13th of last year was the timestamp from my last blog, and as you can probably imagine, there wasn't much motivation to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard so to speak) for the duration of the year that shall not be named. There were lockdowns and long walks to the middle of nowhere, closed golf courses and empty ski lifts all the same. There wasn't a whole lot of entertainment for the majority of the former half of the calendar year.

However, when you look at the general landscape of professional sport and how leagues persisted through that miserable mess, you were pleasantly surprised if you were a golf fan. The PGA Tour was the first professional sports league to resume competitive play before the remainder of all four major sports leagues. The thought of being out in the open air scattered throughout 6,500 yards of open grass and powdered bunkers was adequate enough to avoid any sort of sickness which has affected so many. Being the fanatic of the game of golf that I am, I found solace and gratefulness in being able to tee it up throughout the front range of Denver during this flat out awful time.

Fast forward to May of 2021, things are looking up. Thank God. An example of this sort of rebound that is occuring throughout human society today is the final round of the PGA Championship. We have the best in the world, playing a major golf tournament in May, with thousands of fans spread out (or based on the drone footage, not so much) throughout the sand dunes and marshlands that is Kiawah Island. The funny thing is, if you were to tell me in 2011 that the likes of Phil Mickelson (the same Phil Mickelson who has gone through a total body transformation, gained millions of social media followers over the last three years and oh yeah, fast approaching his milestone 51st birthday) was going to win the PGA Championship in 2021 and be the oldest to ever do it, I'd probably say you've been drinking too many High Noons. But then again, High Noon wasn't around back then so maybe I'm the crazy one.

Yes, Phil Mickelson has done it. He's captured the 103rd PGA Championship and had no intention of letting that lead go since early on Friday morning. It was seriously amazing watching him this weekend, especially with golf majors mortal lock Brooks Koepka chasing him until about the 12th hole during the final round, Louis Oosthuizen who will probably never win a tournament in his life, and even my good friend Rickie Fowler with a low-key top five finish. And while I'm sure the old boys club of golf media will give him the praise he deserves for the next four or five days, I want to revisit the last time I wrote about Phil. Need I remind you all, he read my last blog and sent me a signed Callaway glove. I call it 'a little something, you know, for the effort.' So let's dive into part two, as we explore what Phil's been up to since I last wrong I Simply Cannot Get Enough of Phil Mickelson...part one.

Phil Mickelson Hits the Slopes

So we last checked in with Phil in 2018 after he generously picked Tiger Woods' pocket for a cool $9m at 'The Match'. All going to charity of course, but still a great victory nonetheless. Taking place in the eventual shadows of Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, the lackluster albeit entertaining match between two of the greatest to ever do it was something different and unique. So how'd he celebrate? By bombing down what appears somewhere in Colorado is my guess toward the end of 2018. A holiday well spent.

Phireside with Phil Series

There was something truly special and quite frankly downright hilarious when both Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady joined social media. These are two guys that have historically had a rather private side to them, however these days they are the only two follows where I have notifications turned on and it's worth it every time. While TB12 has Twitter figured out pretty good, Phil has taken to Instagram to really showcase three important storylines: his calves, his Coffee for Wellness and his Phireside chats with Phil. These things are fucking electric, to put it candidly. Utilized as an adult story time, these Phireside chats (properly accessorised with multiple candles both real and fake) dive into the career of Phil over the years with any vital information us golf geeks will cherish. It was after these chats launched that we had broken a barrier with Phil and he's really letting his fans in for the ride.

Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady vs. Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning

Now, if you're a fan of Entourage like myself, you'll recall Tom Brady self proclaiming himself a '3' handicap in a cameo appearance on the hit HBO show. While the thought of this type of match may have been better than actually having said match, and also probably the rainiest golf outing I've ever seen on television, Tiger and Peyton defeated Phil and Tom handily which let's be honest surprised no one. And it's really too bad, especially where Phil carried camera crews with him and gave insightful information to attempt to help Tom's game throughout the 6ish hours this match carried out. I think the only thing I really remember from this match back on May 24 of last year were the Apple AirPods all four pros wore throughout the round. To quote the infamous David Spade...'were you calling from a walkie talkie'? 

Now for the professional golf portion...Phil has won TWICE on the PGA Champions Tour (Including his Debut)

Look, we all knew this was going to happen eventually even if we choose not to believe it. Phil is 50, which means he can join the Champions tour and totally obliterate the field in the most unfriendly ways. If I'm Tiger Woods, I'm 100% stoked to turn 50. Imagine what he's going to do on that tour? Silly. However, one thing that cannot be overstated is that Phil won his first tournament on the Champions tour with relative ease at the Chuck Schwab Series at the Ozarks. So how do you follow up your opening tour tournament win? You win the second, this time at Dominion Energy Charity Classic. Let's save some for the rest of the guys eh pal?

Finally, Just Look at the Guy...He's a Walking Fitness Influencer

One of the coolest things you can watch someone do is totally change their appearance for the better. You relish the fact that people either close to you or in your social media feed are making a diligent and assiduous (thank you thesaurus) effort to lose weight or get healthy. Phil has done just that over the last five years, so much so that he's embarrassing us all with his coolness factor as we scroll across our feeds. Now, fitness influencers aren't really my thing (except I'm getting dangerously close to following each one of the Peloton instructors and can tell you what they're up to at any given time) but if you're Phil Mickelson and you're swinging yourself around using the TRX bands or filming part three of 'Phil Kwan Do' then fine. Take my money and I'll get the popcorn.

Finally, The PGA Championship 2021

What can I say? There was a period of time three years ago where I'd be writing either a golf blog or some piece about how to better yourself in the workplace on a daily basis but over the last year I hadn't felt the need or motivation to do so. In a way, golf was one of the few things that carried me through this ridiculously insane period in our history whether it be watching or playing the game. I've always loved Phil, how could you not? Leave it to him, just a month shy of turning 51 to become the oldest major winner in golf history and stay cool the entire way. 

That's what Phil does whether you're a fan or not. Hey Phil, if you're reading this (again), my address has changed. I'd love a hat to go with that signed glove you sent me last time.