Phil Mickelson kisses the Claret Jug before final round at Open Championship (Video)

Before taking off for his final round at the 2016 Open Championship from the first tee box, Phil Mickelson gave the Claret Jug a smooch for good luck.

Phil Mickelson is 46 years old and his time as a professional golfer is coming to close.

One of the most important wins for “Lefty” in his Hall of Fame career was the comeback victory at the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield Golf Links. It’s a tournament he thought he’d never win and now three years later, he has a chance to do it again and win his sixth career major tournament. The win would mark his first victory since that victory at Muirfield three years back.

The first time Mickelson won the Claret Jug, it was more of a sense of relief that, “Hey, I finally did it.”

The Claret Jug, the trophy that’s given to the Open Championship’s winner, is one of the most recognizable trophies in all of sports and Mickelson understands what it means to hold it and be called Champion Golfer of the Year.

He’s in the hunt for his second Open Championship win and a meeting with the Claret Jug once again. This win would be more of, “The old guy can still play a little bit.”

That’s why the opening moments of his final round on Sunday was so cool.

The Open Championship is the oldest of the four major golf tournaments and arguably the most important. Mickelson’s time among the game’s best is running short and this very well could be his last shot at winning a major.

He’s currently locked in an epic duel atop the leaderboard with Sweden’s Henrik Stenson at Royal Troon, and with a bit of luck, Mickelson could hold the Claret Jug for the second time.

(h/t The Big Lead)

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