Phil Mickelson dominated the field to win his Champions Tour debut

Phil Mickelson missed the cut last week at The Northern Trust at TPC Boston last weekend and failed to advance in the FedEx Cup Playoffs, ending his 2019-20 PGA Tour season. With the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot approaching in September, though, Mickelson decided to make the jump to the Champions Tour this week to stay sharp.

Mickelson turned 50 and became eligible to play on the Champions Tour in June, but said earlier this year that he planned to remain committed to the PGA Tour. That was before the coronavirus shutdown forced a major shift in everyone’s schedule, though, and with meaningful golf left to play in 2020, Mickelson’s only option was to make his debut, competing against old foes like Retief Goosen and Ernie Els.

Mickelson may not have won on the PGA Tour this season, but he’s unquestionably the best 50-year-old golfer on the planet – and he played like it at Ozarks National in a three-round, Monday-Wednesday tournament. Mickelson posted a 10-under par round of 61 on Monday to take a commanding lead, and went wire-to-wire to pick up his first win.

Mickelson ranked just 60th on the PGA Tour in driving distance, but against older competition on the Champions Tour, Mickelson’s bombs were the longest in the field.

Scores of 61, 64 and 66 gave Mickelson a four-shot win over Tim Petrovic.

As FTW alum Luke Kerr-Dineen pointed out on Twitter, this could be a blueprint for Mickelson as he gets older and is unable to turn down what will surely be remarkably lucrative TV contracts.