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Phil Mickelson Sets the Internet on Fire With ‘Genius’ Over the Head Chip Shot
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- Phil Mickelson Sets the Internet on Fire With ‘Genius’ Over the Head Chip Shot
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Phil Mickelson, during a LIV Golf tournament in Gainesville, Virginia, over the weekend, executed an extraordinary chip shot that went viral.
On the 17th hole, his second shot landed in the rough near a bunker, close to the green.
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Facing a challenging situation with the pin almost behind him, the 54-year-old Mickelson stood in the bunker and hit the ball on a wild trajectory.
"Phil can actually hit it over his own head," the announcer predicted to viewers, apparently knowing how this man loves to do the impossible on a golf course.
Mickelson then did precisely that. What happened next was pure 'lefty' magic. It left the announcers in utter disbelief as the ball rolled into the hole.
"That … is unbelievable!" one shouted. "Genius. Pure genius."
Phil Mickelson – Pure Genius
Video of the unreal chip shot has been viewed on X well over two million times. And why not? It's a shot you simply don't see every day.
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Mickelson didn't win the tournament, finishing in a tie for fourth, two shots off the lead. But he definitely won the hearts of golf fans everywhere with that shot.
Bryson DeChambeau, a two-time US Open champ who also finished tied for fourth, was left in awe of what Mickelson pulled off.
"Man, he created some Phil magic there," DeChambeau, who played in the threesome with Mickelson, said, according to the Washington Post . "You could just see his wheels turning, and then he hit the shot, and I got the perfect angle of it."
"I go, 'Oh my gosh, he's going to make it,' and it went in the hole, and I was like, 'That's got to be one of the greatest shots I've ever seen in my entire life.'"
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The man is a wizard on the links.
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One of the Best
Phil Mickelson's short game is widely regarded as one of the best in golf history, characterized by his creativity and precision with wedges.
For so many years, though, he was known as the greatest golfer never to win a major tournament. His luck, however, finally changed at the 2004 Masters.
Mickelson dueled Ernie Els on the back 9 in the final round at Augusta in 2004. It is widely considered one of the best showdowns in golf history, as the two traded birdies and eagles despite not being in the same pairing.
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Els appeared to be heading to victory when Lefty began his charge. Mickelson would shoot a bogey-free 31 and birdie 5 of the last seven holes, including a dramatic 20-foot putt on 16.
Having earned a tie atop the leaderboard with Els heading into the final hole, Mickelson hit his approach shot onto the green but was still left with a lengthy 18-foot putt.
Mickelson struck the ball, and as it approached the cup, commentator Jim Nantz asked what everybody was thinking: "Is it his time?"
The ball caught the left edge of the hole and managed to roll in the side for an incredible victory. Nantz then answered his own question, shouting, "Yes! At long last!"
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Mickelson's emotions came out as well as he leaped (we're putting that kindly) into the air to celebrate his first green jacket. He would go on to win a total of three Masters tournaments and six majors overall, including the 2021 PGA Championship at the age of 50 – the oldest player to ever win a major championship in the sport.
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