Phil Mickelson returns to competitive action this week in the Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club and appears more determined than ever to enjoy a successful year.
One of the areas he has worked on in the period since his last tournament, October’s LIV Golf Team Championship at Trump National Doral, is losing weight. The 52-year-old has revealed he’s the slimmest he’s been in decades. He said: “I have a whole different energy, whole different excitement. I’ve been rejuvenated. Best shape I’ve been in in a long time. I’m back to my college weight. It allows me to recover faster after I play.”
When pressed on exactly how much weight he had shed, Mickelson was coy, but said: “It’s my college weight. We don’t need to go to numbers, but I’m back to where I was when I turned pro. That’s the first time that’s happened.”
Last year, by his own admission, Mickelson failed to find his best form. Following a self-imposed sabbatical after controversial comments he made related to LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, Mickelson was unveiled as one of LIV’s marquee signings for the opening tournament in June.
However, he only posted one top-10 finish in the inaugural season – eighth in Chicago. Still, he’s confident this year will be far different, and not just because of the weight loss. He said: “I’m changing some of the ways I practice to be more efficient. Rather than quantity, it’s much more quality driven, and I’m seeing a difference when I go out and play in the way I am kind of pulling the shots off on the golf course. I’m very optimistic about playing at a level that I expect to play at.”
Mickelson also explained he thinks he’s not far from the level that saw him win his sixth and most recent Major, the PGA Championship in 2021. He said: “The best that it’s been was at Kiawah in ’21, as far as hitting draws, hitting fades and control of the ball, and I’m getting close to that level of shot making day in and day out.
“I think I’m going to be able to play at a higher level consistently with some of the changes I’ve made, allowing myself to recover better, changing things that I eat, changing my recovery time, changing my practice pattern. I’ve had to make a lot of adjustments as I’ve gotten older to get back to that level. I’m embarrassed with how I played last year. I’m going to put that behind me and have a really good year.”
Earlier in the week, in an interview with Sports Illustrated (opens in new tab), Mickelson explained he still harbours ambitions of winning more Majors. Given his newly trim figure and confidence going into 2023, it appears that may not be out of the question.
