Long before the LIV Golf controversies, Phil Mickelson was a serial winner on the PGA Tour.
And one of Lefty’s ‘top five’ career moments came at Colonial Country Club and the now-named Charles Schwab Challenge, which takes places again this week.
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Mickelson won the event, then called the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, in 2008, holding off Tim Clark and Rod Pampling to claim glory by just one stroke.
And that one stroke was secured in typical Phil fashion.
Needing a birdie on the 72nd hole to win, Mickelson stepped up to the 18th tee box before ripping his driver way left and into some dense trees.
Sir Nick Faldo said in the commentary booth: “That’s his power fade but oh no, what’s he done?! That is surely no chance.”
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What Mickelson had done was find himself in a horrible position, 141 yards from the flag and with a host of tall oaks all around him.
The 18th green at Colonial is guarded by three huge bunkers and has water all down the left-hand side.
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Needing to get up and down from where he stood, Mickelson pulled off a miracle.
He pulled out his gap wedge, hooked it over and around the trees and cleared the deep sand trap guarding the flag, dropping it to just eight feet.
It was another incredible escape from Mickelson which Faldo went on to claim was the ‘shot of the year’.
Lefty duly sunk the birdie putt, securing the title.
Post-round, an almost embarrassed Mickelson said with a smile: “It was just a wedge to eight feet and I knocked it in for birdie.”
He added: “It was just lucky, I’m as surprised as anybody I was able to make a three from over there.”
He was then asked where it ranked among his best shots ever: “Probably top five,” he responded.
It was Mickelson’s 34th PGA Tour win and he now holds 45 from his glittering career.
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The six-time major champion was in action at the recent PGA Championship but missed the cut at Valhalla after shooting 74 and 72 over the opening two days.
Phil, who is now playing on the LIV tour, will be back in major competition at the US Open next month.
For all his victories down the years, Mickelson has never won the US Open and so the career Grand Slam has so far evaded him.
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He has been runner-up SIX times in the showpiece American tournament and will tee it up at Pinehurst looking to finally go one better.
As the name suggests, Pinehurst has plenty of trees for trouble and Mickelson certainly knows just how to navigate them!
