It came down to sudden death. And sudden indeed, as Phil Mickelson defeated Justin Thomas on the first hole of a playoff to win the WGC-Mexico Championship. The victory marked his first win in a tour event since the 2013 British Open.
Mickelson had played in 101 tournaments since that historic win, but the 47-year-old said that he never doubted he would get more wins before his career was over.
“I know that wasn’t going to be my last one, no,” Mickelson said on Sunday, speaking of his British Open title. “And this isn’t either.”
Mickelson, Thomas Finish Hot
Mickelson’s latest win didn’t come easily. He had to come out hot on Sunday in order to get into position to win the tournament, and started the final round with five birdies in the first 10 holes. After some missteps, Mickelson birdied the 15th and 16th holes and finished with a 66 on the round.
That was good enough to keep pace with Thomas, who had a blistering weekend to get back into contention after finishing the second round 11 shots behind the leaders. After shooting a 62 on Saturday, Thomas incredibly holed out for eagle on the 18th to shoot a 64 on Sunday.
That nearly set up a three-way playoff. Tyrrell Hatton looked to be in position to join Mickelson and Thomas or perhaps even win the event outright. But Hatton would miss the 18th green, then miss a par putt, bogeying to finish one shot off the pace, tied for third with Rafael Cabrera-Bello.
The playoff hole had its own share of drama. Played on the par-3 17th hole, Thomas went past the green on his first shot, while Mickelson hit the green from the tee. Thomas then chipped to about 10 feet away, while Mickelson squandered his first chance to win by narrowly missing his birdie putt. But when Thomas missed his par putt, Mickelson was able to celebrate.
Mickelson to Win The Masters?
The victory has put Phil back on the radar for golf fans and bettors alike. At Bovada, Mickelson is now listed as the ninth pick on the board for the Masters next month at +1800. Thomas, who has already won two events this year and is now ranked No. 2 in the world, is listed at +1000. Dustin Johnson and Jordan Spieth are the co-favorites at +750, while a number of other prominent players, including the resurgent Tiger Woods (+1600), are priced as serious threats to win.
For Mickelson, the win was the end of a frustrating period in his career. Despite his age, the long losing streak was unexpected, and now that he has finally won again, he is making it clear that he doesn’t plan on going through another long drought.
The win was the 43rd of his career. And when a reporter half-jokingly asked him if he had a chance to get to 50 wins, which would require a late career surge unlike any seen in golf before, Phil didn’t hesitate in his response.
“Oh, I will get there,” Mickelson said. “Seven more wins and I’ll be there. I don’t have the month or the time, but I will get there.”