Phil Mickelson falls out of top-10 on OWGR for the first time since 2004
The delectable American Phil Mickelson can feel the clock ticking past him as he prepares to land his bid for this week’s Waste Management Phoenix Open.
Winner of four major titles, Mickelson is often regarded as the best American golfer of recent times alongside Tiger Woods.
He has won 47 professional titles in his blistering career, with 39 of them coming on the PGA Tour.
He is ranked as the 10th player on PGA who has won so many times in the course of their careers.
The diligent “lefty” will now be turning 42 in June and hopes to win another three titles before he bids farewell to his game.
"I would like to get to that magic number of 50 wins that few players have done," Mickelson said last year.
"But, also, finally getting that U.S. Open win would mean a lot to me, as well as would a British Open win, which would conclude the Grand Slam,” he went on.
However, it may not be as easy as it looks considering his current form. Mickelson has won only two titles in his last 43 starts since 2010 and has won only one title, the Shell Houston Open last year, after turning 40.
Age might have a decisive effect on his performance but the grizzled veteran is not ready to give up for the moment.
Chris Dimarco agrees that Mickelson’s age may be calling the shots for the moment.
"Phil has had a lot on his mind the last couple of years with his wife and his mother (battling cancer), and he's in his 40s now. That's when things that are important to you change, and that's not a bad thing”.
Mickelson pulled in a stunning performance at last year’s Open Championship, when he tamed the field at Royal St. Georges in Sandwich to finish for a stellar runner up position.
He was one of the best performing Americans on the course alongside Dustin Johnson who outsmarted the vicious Links layout to surge to the top.
For the rest of the season, he was not able to carry on with his fine form of the Open.
Mickelson has now fallen out of the top-10 on the Official World Golf Rankings (OWGR) for the first time since 2004.
He is all set to be inducted into World Golf Hall of Fame in May this year.
The left-handed American has won the Masters for a whooping three times but his seven runner-up finishes in major events, is probably the most disappointing facet of his otherwise stellar career.
Mickelson might have to emulate the Fijian Vijay Singh who has won for a staggering 22 times after reaching 40’s, which is something quite unlikely considering Mickelson’s on-going battle with psoriatic arthritis.
Mickelson’s 2012 bid will ascertain whether the grizzled veteran will continue to be part of the events for another few years or will decide to part ways with mainstream golf.
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