Wayne Riley
A former member of the European Tour and two-time winner, Wayne is part of the Sky Sports golf team. He writes exclusively for
By the time you read this you’ll know who the US Open champion is, but I simply have to talk about Phil Mickelson’s record-breaking triumph in the USPGA Championship. What incredible viewing that was! He was 250/1 before the start of the event, comfortably outside the world’s top 100 and on absolutely no one’s radar. It was such a shock, but I’m so glad it happened – it was terrific viewing.
I still can’t quite believe it, but what I do know is he drove the ball magnificently well – not something you often say when you’re talking about Mickelson! On the Sunday, everyone thought Brooks Koepka was going to prevail, but he didn’t have an answer. It was incredible. The drive he hit down the 16th was the longest of the day and went further than Koepka’s effort, which was also absolutely smoked. It was just a series of things I didn’t expect to see.
It was like a different man had shown up. He hasn’t looked like winning a tournament, let alone a Major, but I suppose with these great champions, the know-how never really goes away. Sure, they might find it harder to get in contention as they get older, but once they’re in the thick of battle, their innate ability to compete and get over the line comes out again. They know what to do and have so many past experiences to draw on.
What was also different was the fact he was clearly employing specific breathing exercises and they were obviously helping with the concentration and focus. I looked in his eyes and he was just in the zone. He’s lost a lot of weight, too. It was like he was on a special mission to achieve something unprecedented.
I can’t tell you how impressed I am that he’s still this dedicated. Sometimes, you can’t relate to these great champions because they’re simply made of different stuff. I played on tour for around 20 years and called it a day when I was about 40 – I just didn’t have the energy to keep up with the young guns. He’s been on tour for 29 years and he’s still as committed as ever. It’s remarkable.
I’m glad we’ve seen some reminders of late that golf isn’t just a young person’s sport. Look at Mickelson, Richard Bland and Lee Westwood, who’s still playing some great stuff and has a good chance of making the Ryder Cup team. Before them, Vijay Singh was a prolific winner in his 40s, as was Miguel Angel Jimenez, who won an event on the European Tour at the age of 50. I mean, Tom Watson lost out in a play-off at The Open when he was 59! If you’re in good physical shape and dedicated, why shouldn’t you play great golf into your early 50s? You know a lot more than the youngsters and you’ve seen a lot more too.
I’m sure Mickelson’s triumph has given a boost to the likes of Ian Poulter, Justin Rose, Sergio Garcia and Henrik Stenson – players in their 40s who know what can be achieved if you carry on working hard and retain that competitive enthusiasm.
Someone who I’m sure was also watching with interest was Tiger Woods, a man who won the 2019 Masters at the age of 43. You can bet your bottom dollar that he’s still thinking about competing on the PGA Tour and in Majors. He’s 45 now, so even if he doesn’t play again competitively for two more years, he could still have another few years at the top level – provided he makes a full recovery from his car accident and his other injuries stay away, which I’m aware is a fairly sizeable caveat.
Mickelson’s win was phenomenal and will have spurred on a lot of people. Yes, the current crop of youngsters is ridiculously talented, but don’t forget about the golden oldies.
“Mickelson’s win was phenomenal and will have spurred on a lot of people”