Phil Mickelson looked like his old self at LIV Golf Hong Kong this week, hitting plenty of fairways and greens to finish in solo third — the best result of his LIV Golf career.
‘Lefty’ posted a 14-under par score, finishing four strokes behind winner Sergio Garcia. Mickelson fired a 6-under 64 on Sunday to climb into the top three.
“It felt easy,” Mickelson said.
“I probably led the field in fairways hit. I haven’t seen the stats, but I’d be surprised if anybody hit more than I did. My game is getting sharp. My short game is back. I had a rough couple of years. My short game is really sharp now. My iron play is back, and my game is starting to really come around, and I’m also playing differently. I’m playing a lot less stressed, and it’s coming.”
What’s coming next month is The Masters, where Mickelson has won three times. He also posted a T-2 finish at Augusta National in 2023 after shooting a final round 65.
“That’s actually right in my thought process. However, for me to play well [at Augusta], I’ve got to build into it, which makes this tournament even more important,” Mickelson added.
“I played well at Adelaide, didn’t putt well. I played well here, cleaned up some things, made some good putts throughout the three days, and then keep cleaning it up, get sharper and sharper and feeling that pressure and that excitement coming down the stretch, that only gets me more ready for Augusta. But I need to keep building and keep improving, keep fine tuning. But I’m finding a different style of golf that is allowing me to shoot scores that can compete against the best players but just a different way.”
Mickelson noted that this different approach does not involve overpowering a golf course. But considering he has one of the best short games of all-time, the six-time major winner has what it takes to compete on any course against anyone. Look no further than what he did at Kiawah Island four years ago.
Yet, Mickelson is still unsure of what he needs to do to win again.
“I’ve got to find another way to beat these guys, and so I hit a lot of fairways this week. It lets my iron play come out,” Mickelson said.
“I actually hit a lot of good putts today that didn’t quite go in, but my speed was off a little bit, too, on some. I had a really good week though; I putted well, hit a lot of good shots, and like I say, I’ve got to find another way to beat these guys because I’m not going to overpower them. I’m figuring it out.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
