PGA Tour golfer and sports speaker Phil Mickelson has won five major championships and 42 events on the PGA Tour with his highest world ranking of No. 2. After graduating from Arizona State University on a golf scholarship, and after becoming the face of amateur golfing in the U.S., he won his first PGA Tour event in 1991 and did so as an amateur. This win made him the sixth player in PGA history to accomplish this and in twenty years, no one has come to match this. The following year, he turned pro after being able to bypass the Tour’s qualifying process with his 1991 win.
His first major championship win came in 2004 when he defeated Ernie Els and this made him the third golfer with a left-handed swing to win a major. Phil Mickelson is known for his appreciation of the sport and of the spectators, and has given money to a fan for his broken watch that Phil’s tee had hit. In 2007, after frustration of his driving accuracy, Phil made a decision to leave longtime swing coach Rick Smith and currently works with Butch Harmon.
In 2009, Phil announced that his wife, Amy was diagnosed with breast cancer and that he would suspend his PGA Tour schedule indefinitely. After this was announced, players were seen wearing pink to support her cancer and “Pink Out” events were hosted around the U.S. On May 31, 2009, he returned to play since the doctors who were treating his wife said that her cancer had been detected in an early stage. Unfortunately, on July 9, 2009 it was announced that his mother, Mary Mickelson, was diagnosed with breast cancer and that Phil would again take a leave of absence from the Tour. He came back on July 28 and in September won The Tour Championship for the second time in his career. In November he won the WGC-HSBC Champions by one shot.
Days before the 2010 PGA Championship at Whistling Straits, Phil Mickelson announced he had been diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. He went on to finish the championship explaining that with rounds of treatment, the arthritis may go into permanent remission.
In 2011, Phil won the Shell Houston Open winning over Scott Verplank and rose to No. 3 in world ranking, while fellow PGA Tour golfer Tiger Woods fell to No. 7. This was a great feat for Phil, as he had not been ranked above Tiger since before the 1997 Masters Tournament. Phil was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in May 2012. Most recently, Phil finished tied for second with Justin Rose in the 2015 Masters Tournament. Phil Mickelson is available for sporting events, sports clinics, and personal appearances.
APPEARANCES: ESPN, ESPN25: Who’s #1? ESPN First Take, Late Show with David Letterman, Live with Regis and Kelly, Mike & Mike in the Morning, Morning Drive, Golf Channel, ABC, Fox
TO WORK WITH PHIL MICKELSON: Celebrity Speaker Phil Mickelson can be hired for endorsements and events in roles such as public speaker, autograph signings, SMT’S, and public relation campaigns.