Being 50 years and 11 months old, competing in a field with young and more athletic players, and finally, after pouring blood and sweat, becoming the oldest major winner, is a big feat. When Phil Mickelson won the PGA Championship in 2021, he proved to everyone that aging doesn’t impair talent.

However, aging influences everyone’s health. Since golf is a long-standing sport, golfers need to be in perfect health. And Mickelson is doing everything to be in his best form, body-wise. But the fittest Mickelson also has his dark past, which comes into light once again.

Mickelson faced trolling because of his health

When Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar was released last year, it created a buzz in the golf world. Author Alan Shipnuck shared the multitudes within the ‘Lefty’, from gambling habits to being his own biggest admirer.

The author of the book also described how, in 1999, the media made fun of Mickelson because of his physique. Lefty used to have odd eating habits before he became a health nut. The author gave a detailed description of how his health and obesity caused him to face some serious trolling.

When Lefty welcomed his daughter, Amanda, in 1999, a journalist asked, “Was it Phil or Amy who was pregnant?” Others referred to him as ”Full Mickelson”. However, Mickelson was undoubtedly hurt by these remarks since he believed the author was allowing such crude talk to be published. When Shipnuck asked him about the Ryder Cup preview story, Lefty retorted, “I’m not going to answer that because I don’t respect you as a writer.” 

In a 2002 Ryder Cup dinner, golf analyst Paul Azinger also shared how Lefty’s unhealthy eating choices shocked him. Mickelson’s eating habits led to psoriatic arthritis, which was an alarming state for Mickelson.

Mindful choices made Lefty healthier

This year, when 53-year-old Mickelson appeared at the Masters, he looked significantly skinnier than before. Lefty lost around 25 pounds in months. He changed his eating habits and started exercising to loosen his muscles as well.

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“I stopped eating food; that was a big help. I lost 25 pounds. Then I had—I also lost muscle, so I had to start lifting, and I’ve been lifting and slowly have been getting my speed and strength back to where I need it to be,” revealed the golfer.

Other golfers’ amazing form also inspired Mickelson to take care of his health. “I’m just going to keep it going this year and continue down that path because, if you watch some of these guys out here today, how far and how fast they’re able to swing the club, it’s really amazing,” said Mickelson.

Now that Mickelson is happy and thriving not only on the course but also physique-wise, we can’t wait to see Mickelson’s amazing skills on the course.

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