Oldest golfer to win a major
Phil Mickelson is among the best golfers ever, winning six major championships. However, his last win at the 2021 PGA Championship was a shocker even for this future Hall-of-famer. Before that, Phil last won a major eight years back at the 2013 Open Championship. There had only been eight victories at a major championship by golfers over 44 going back to 1867. Phil was 43 when he last won and was almost 51 at the 2021 PGA Championship. The oddsmakers certainly didn't expect him to win, with odds going as high as 250/1 before the tournament started. Phil hadn't won a tournament in over two years and was ranked #115.
After the first round, Mickelson was -2, three shots back. He would tie for the lead at -5 after the second and be the sole leader at -7 after the third. Phil would relinquish the lead in the first hole of the final round but regain it in the second hole and never looked back to win his second PGA Championship.
Quotes
I believed for a long time that I could play at this level again,
Phil Mickelson
References
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Inside Phil Mickelson’s Historic PGA Championship Triumph
The win also boosted Mickelson from No. 115 to No. 32 in the Official World Golf Rankings, and moved him into 16th in the United States Ryder Cup standings.
GolfLink
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Bettor wins $300,000 on Phil Mickelson's PGA Championship victory
Mickelson had odds as long as 300-1 before the tournament, before shortening to around 250-1 before Thursday’s opening round. Mickelson’s odds were 90-1 before Round 2, 12-1 before Round 3 and + 275 before Sunday’s final round at DraftKings.
VSiN
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PGA Championship 2021: Phil Mickelson becomes biggest underdog to win a major in at least 16 years (Yeah, it's complicated)
With pre-tournament odds of more than 200-to-1 (and as high as 250-to-1 at Westgate SuperBook), Mickelson is the biggest underdog to win one of the four biggest men's tournaments in at least 16 years. We say, "at least," because, well, it's a bit complicated.
Golf Digest
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Phil Mickelson, 50, wins PGA Championship to become oldest major champion in golf history
That list of people didn't include Mickelson. Never mind that he had not won in more than two years, had not registered a top 20 in nearly nine months and last won a major in 2013 at The Open. Never mind that he was No. 115 in the world.
ESPN
