Why is Phil Mickelson such a popular winner? Because he can’t hide his love of the game

The 50-year-old became the oldest man in history to win a golf major at the US PGA Championship over the weekend. Plenty there and at home were rooting for him as the American plays the game with such unbridled glee, writes Tom Kershaw

Mickelson at the 11th at Kiawah Island, South Carolina (AP)

If they say father time is undefeated, then his greatest opponent remains enthusiasm. Phil Mickelson provided further evidence of that on Sunday when the 50-year-old became the oldest man in history to win a major.

There have been many slights of Mickelson over the years – largely geared around his slapstick, near-sycophantic persona – but one criticism that could never stick is a lack of love or obsession. Even when hidden behind a pair of aviators befitting a secret service agent, nothing has ever managed to mask the American’s glee at simply playing golf.

It is in large part why Mickelson was such a popular winner of the US PGA Championship. Less than two weeks ago, he had accepted a sponsor’s exemption to compete at next month’s US Open – a reluctant reward reserved for players whose pulling power has outlasted their ability – having fallen out of the world’s top 100.

He had dabbled in events on the seniors’ tour, where he was even offered a buggy, and had decried the difficulty of modern courses. A long and illustrious career, often spent in the shadow of Tiger Woods, had been consigned to its twilight.

Nothing, then, personified the magic and mystery of golf quite like a fading Mickelson, on precisely the sort of behemoth course he’d lamented, holding off a field of young, exuberant challengers.

On the 16th, with victory in his grasp, he bludgeoned a drive all of 366 yards – the furthest of any player on that hole all tournament. It was a week that defied all logic and common sense, and yet that is what adds to its allure: the undisputed triumph of mind over matter, a middle finger to all the preconceptions of what is said to be possible.

Mickelson’s body may have weathered, but the golf ball knows no prejudice. Just weeks from his 51st birthday, undeterred by age or experience, he fashioned a pathway through the Ocean Course’s dunes.

It was a testament to his genius, stubborn determination, and utter refusal to give in to fate. It is no wonder a frenzied crowd practically chased him down the 18th fairway at Kiawah Island because few traits will ever resonate, and give cause for hope, quite so widely.

Yours,

Tom Kershaw

Sports writer