AUGUSTA, Ga. – Phil Mickelson drove up Magnolia Lane for his 28th Masters Monday morning accompanied by an admirable sense of joy, announcing on Twitter that the simple act of arriving at Augusta National Golf Club brought out the kid in him again.
But reality has been sending a different message to Mickelson: that he is 50 now, 10 years removed from his third and last Masters championship, playing the role of elder statesman much more than that of long-ago wunderkind.
For those who have been following the remarkable career of the affable Mickelson, it will come as no surprise to find out that he is just fine with that. When asked at his pre-tournament news conference Tuesday about not being asked to participate in many other pre-tournament news conferences on the PGA Tour anymore, Mickelson took it all in stride.
“I just don’t think my views are that much desired during this era, and it’s been easy to kind of just slide in and out,” he said.
There was no sadness in his voice. How could there be? He gets to play the sport he loves, and still make a ton of money doing it, at an age when most professional athletes in other sports have been retired for 15-20 years.
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“There’s something very spiritual about this place as a golfer, and to have won this tournament means a lot to me,” he said of the Masters. “I can’t believe it’s been 10 years since I won it last. I would love nothing more than to have an opportunity to be in contention, and that’s my goal. I’m not going into this event thinking about winning, I’m going into this event trying to get into contention for the weekend and then hopefully take it from there.”
It’s a different Masters this year, of course, being played seven months later than usual in the middle of a pandemic. It will look and feel different, without spectators, without noise, without the sense of electricity that traditionally builds on a Masters Sunday afternoon. So what will he miss most from the April Masters?
“Nothing in the sense that this is the Masters and it doesn’t matter,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it rains. It doesn’t matter if it shines. We get to compete for a green jacket. As a player, that’s all we care about. I’m just thankful that we have that chance this year because it’s been very challenging and a lot of extra work to put this tournament on, and I’m appreciative of the club doing this for us.”
While Mickelson did not offer any specifics about how he and his family have handled the pandemic, he acknowledged the “uncertainties” and “challenges” of this time, and how fortunate he is to be in a sport that can be played outdoors at a safe distance from others.
“We’re facing it just like everybody else is, and I think every organization is doing the best they can to accommodate this time, and I think everyone’s appreciative of that,” he said. “Everybody is doing the best that they can and trying to be understanding of the situation, and so I’m appreciative and thankful that the game of golf has been able to go on. I’m appreciative of being able to still play and do it socially responsible with social distancing and not fear of transmission. …
“Golf is a huge part of my life, and the ability to just even practice, hit some putts in my yard or go to the course and be able to play a few holes, that means a lot to me. And a lot of things that people love have been taken away, and that’s got to be brutal. … A lot of people have had their love and their passion taken away from them during this time and it’s hard for me to fully empathize with how difficult that must be.”
Which goes a long way to explaining why a 50-year-old man drove up a road in Georgia earlier this week and said he felt like a kid again.
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