Golf’s oldest major returns at The Royal Troon in just a few days! The year 2024 marks the tenth time that The Open is returning to Troon. The completion sure will be enthralling with so many layers vying for the title, and all the eyes will surely be on Rory McIlroy, as he returns to end his 10-year major drought after his extremely heartbreaking loss at Pinehurst. Who else would a fan be excited to see? We are sure, that LIV golfers have been on fire this year, especially man of the people, Bryson DeChambeau. But will they see 6x major champion and another ever-favorite Phil Mickelson at Royal Troon?
Lefty will be there, teeing off on July 18, to battle for the seventh major glory of his career, as per PGA Tour media. Many enthusiasts would wonder how the 52-year-old got to play at the Open Championship, especially since he hasn’t had any noteworthy performance in the majors after the 2023 majors where he finished tied at T2 with Brooks Koepka. However, the six-time major champion is listed in the exemption category, with three exemptions in particular, all thanks to his successful career.
The R&A uses several categories to determine the open field. One of them is that past champions aged 60 or under on July 21 can play in the Open Championship, but only if they choose to compete. Another one is that the Open Champions between 2013 and 2023 can participate too. He easily passed it, too, as he clinched the 2013 Open Championship title and held the Claret jug at Muirfield. The 45-time PGA Tour winner recalled this feat in 2020; he stated, “I had a lot of confidence that I had the game, and I was playing well enough at the time to win The Open Championship.”
USA Today via Reuters
Additionally, the third exemption he got as a PGA Championship winner was between 2018 and 24. Mickelson was a month away from his 51st 𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡day as he bagged his second PGA Championship and sixth major. He achieved it with two strokes ahead of runners-up Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen. This legendary achievement made him the oldest professional to win a major, a distinction previously held by Julius Boros, who won it in 1968 at age 48.
But with not many impressive performances since joining LIV, will he clear this obstacle at Troon this year and give the world a glimpse of old Mickelson?
Will Phil Mickelson continue his win-less streak at Royal Troon?
Phil Mickelson has been experiencing a winless streak for years now. When he switched to LIV, everyone was shocked; after all, he was a big-time PGA Tour player. And to say that he has not been able to win ever since he defected to the Saudi-funded league is very painful, especially for his die-hard wins. His high-risk and high-reward style of play has only helped him get one top-10 finish this year, which came at LIV Golf Jeddah.
Other than that, this year, his worst finish in LIV was T52, which came in Hong Kong, whereas the second worst was T51 in Mayakoba. Another decent, but not good, performance was his finish in the 22nd spot in Singapore.
Additionally, his major performances this year have been underwhelming. He has struggled to replicate his past success in the majors. He did make a cut in the Masters this year, but his performance in the other two was not up to his standards. He failed to make it to the weekend at the PGA Championship and the US Open. With the tough luck continuing, how do you think things will turn out for him?
