50 NOT OUT

With Phil Mickelson reaching his half century and showing no signs of stopping, we look back on the many highs and lows of his career

- Brian Wacker

The Fountain of Youth is only a mythical spring, the legend of which first appeared in writings during the 5th century BC and became perhaps most prominent during the 16th century when Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon travelled to Florida in 1513. Though don’t try telling any of this to Phil Mickelson, who seems to have recently discovered it at the bottom of a Yeti thermos filled with five shots of espresso extracted from Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans, almond milk, cinnamon, cacao nibs, collagen and medium-chain triglyceride oil.

This is the magic elixir he swears by (and sells, of course) and the results are hard to dispute. He has a thinner waistline than when he was in his 30s and he has as much juice as the Energizer Bunny.

“When I look back on some of the highlights of tournaments that I’ve won or played well in 15 years ago in my mid-30s, I mean, it’s embarrassing the way I looked,” he said pointedly. “I wasn’t really accountable for my health. Now that I’ve taken a much greater level of accountability, I feel a lot better than I did 15 years ago.”

Maybe he’s on to something after all, though his long-standing work ethic shouldn’t be lost in the power of the magic beans. Eighteen months ago, Mickelson was cruising down Magnolia Lane at the 2019 Masters bragging about hitting bombs and boasting a supercharged 125-mph clubhead speed. The video drew more than five million hits, proving this second act, however hokey, is just as popular as the first, and he’s still got some of the goods, too.