Next week is the British Open, and Phil Mickelson will enter it on top of his game. He finally ended his 20-year drought on European soil on Sunday with a win at the Scottish Open.
He ended the Open tied with South African Brandan Grace. It did not take long for to win. On the 607-yard, par-5 playoff hole, Mickelson almost holed out on his third shot, but it left him with an easy birdie. He tapped it in while Grace faced a long birdie. Grace was not able to capitalize on it, and Mickelson won. They were tied at 17-under after Mickelson three-putted the last hole for a bogey.
This was Mickelson’s first win in Europe since his victory at the Tournoi Perrier de Paris in 1993, which was a European Challenge Tour (second tier) event.
Many think this will lead up to a great British Open. However, as Kyle Porter at CBS Sports points out, Mickelson has had plenty of great finishes at the Scottish Open, but it never carried over to the British Open. Maybe a victory at the Scottish Open will be the thing that Mickelson needs to excel at the British Open.
The victory is his 48th of his career. He will tee off on Thursday as the #5 player in the world.