Philip Mickelson American professional golfer Date of Birth: 16.06.1970 Country: USA

Biography of Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson, an American professional golfer, was born on June 16, 1970, in San Diego, California. He grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, and learned to play golf left-handed, despite being right-handed himself. Mickelson's father, Phil Mickelson Sr., a pilot and former naval aviator, taught him the game of golf from a young age. With regular practice in their backyard in San Diego, Mickelson quickly became a skilled golfer.

Mickelson received a sports scholarship to attend Arizona State University in Tempe, where he graduated in 1992. During his college years, Mickelson became the face of amateur golf in the United States, winning three individual championships under the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and receiving three Haskins Awards. He also became the first left-handed golfer to win the national championship among amateurs.

In 1991, at the age of 20, Mickelson won his first PGA Tour tournament, the Northern Telecom Open in Tucson. This achievement made him the sixth golfer in PGA history to win a tournament as an amateur and the first since Scott Verplank in 1985. Immediately after graduating from college in 1992, Mickelson turned professional and went on to win numerous PGA Tour events, including the Byron Nelson Golf Classic and World Series of Golf in 1996, AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 1998, Colonial National Invitation in 2000, and the Greater Hartford Open in 2001 and 2002.

Despite his success on the PGA Tour, Mickelson struggled to win major tournaments for a long time. However, in 2004, he secured his first major victory at the Masters Tournament. Since then, Mickelson has regularly triumphed in major golf tournaments, solidifying his reputation as one of the best golfers in the world. In total, he has won four major championships and a total of 41 PGA Tour events.

Mickelson's distinctive left-handed swing led to him being nicknamed "Lefty," even though his dominant hand is his right. In November 2011, he was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame, and the induction ceremony took place in May 2012. Standing at 191 cm tall and weighing 91 kg, Mickelson has established himself not only as a successful golfer but also as a highly marketable athlete. In 2011, he was ranked as the second-highest-earning athlete in the United States. Mickelson is married to Amy Mickelson, and they have three children together: Amanda, Sophia, and Evan.