Phil Mickelson was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame on Monday, receiving one of the highest honors a golfer can obtain. But as usual, Mickelson wasn't thinking of himself. He began by thanking the people who had helped him along the way in life from friends and family, to his coaches. Yet, he wanted to make sure he thanked the most important people of all: the fans.
"The fans have made this such a fun ride," Mickelson said during the induction ceremony. "There have been a lot of highs and a lot of lows that we've shared together. There have been a lot of times where I've struggled, and it's been their energy that's helped pull me through."
That's just how Mickelson does things. He knows how much of an advantage it is to tee it up and have the gallery on his side each and every round. You can't take that kind of thing for granted.
Mickelson has earned over $55 million dollars on the PGA Tour in his career. He was won 40 PGA Tour events to go along with four major championships: 3 Masters, and a PGA Championship. Phil never made it to #1 in the world, but has been ranked #2 multiple times throughout his career. His best year was likely 2005 in which he won four times on tour and a PGA Championship to close out the season.
Mickelson will always be compared to Tiger Woods because of the time period that he played in. Woods is the best, and Mickelson along with everyone else would agree that Tiger has had the better career. However, "Lefty" is going to be one of the few players to be able to say that he got the best of Tiger Woods head-to-head in the prime of his career. Dating back to 2007, Mickelson has beaten Tiger five straight times in head to head competition and has gone on to win the tournament three of those times. Most recently, Phil beat Tiger by 11 shots in the final round at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am going on to win the tournament. Don't forget, Tiger got a front row viewing to the beat down he was handed by Lefty. That must have stung.
Charity has also been a major emphasis of Mickelson's career. He has started three different charities including Birdies for Brave, Home For Our Troops, and The Phil and Amy Mickelson Foundation. He also spends time working with "Start Smart" and the Mickelson ExxonMobil Teacher's Academy.
Mickelson has had a brilliant career. Most players would kill to have achieved the things that he has, but that's just not plausible. Mickelson has as much raw talent as any player that has ever played on tour and is truly one of the best ambassadors golf has ever seen. He is a great golfer, a family man, and a role model to every younger player out there. There aren't many arguments against Phil Mickelson.
I believe that Mickelson will not always be remembered for the things that he has done on the golf course, but more importantly, his actions off of it. I look forward to 30 years from now, when Mickelson will strike the honorary opening tee shot in the Masters. I'm sure Augusta National wouldn't have it any other way.
--GM
No comments:
Post a Comment