The Open Championship: Top 10 moments in history
By Luke Norris
6. Phil Mickelson comes from behind at Muirfield in 2013
It was long thought that Phil Mickelson would never win The Open Championship. Coming into the 2013 edition at Muirfield, “Lefty” had finished in the top five just twice in 19 appearances, a solo third at Royal Troon where he finished one shot out of a playoff that was won by Todd Hamilton and a runner-up tie with Dustin Johnson at Royal St. George’s in 2011, the same event in which long-time major championship bridesmaid Darren Clarke won his first and only major title. Mickelson missed the cut in 2012 but had momentum coming into Muirfield with a win at the Scottish Open a week earlier.
Phil opened with a 2-under round of 69, three shots behind leader Zach Johnson, who would go on to win this championship two years later. Following rounds of 74 and 72 on Friday and Saturday, Mickelson entered the final round a full five shots behind leader Lee Westwood, who was still trying to win that elusive major, something that still plagues him to this day.
Only three players, Westwood, Hunter Mahan and Tiger Woods, began the day under par but by the end of the final round, there was only one. On a day where the vast majority of the field struggled, Mickelson was masterful. He carded two birdies on his first nine to go out in 34 and after making a bogey at the 10th played some of the best golf of his career coming in, playing smart golf by keeping his ball out of the wind and making clutch putts. He made consecutive birdies at 13 and 14, made two fantastic putts to save pars at 15 and 16 and birdied the final two holes to coast to a three-stroke victory over Henrik Stenson, with whom he would battle down the stretch a few years later.
The win at The Open gave Mickelson his fifth major championship and put him one leg short of the career Grand Slam, still only needing a U.S. Open title to achieve that feat.