It has been a while since Phil Mickelson left the PGA Tour. And with the merger being delayed, who knows if Lefty would ever tee up again at the Tour, which made his career? Since joining the PGA Tour in 1992, Mickelson has been regarded as one of the best golfers, although after he joined LIV Golf, it was popularized that the 54-year-old had destroyed his legacy.

However, the records he made and the victories he earned on the PGA Tour cannot vanish despite where the 6-time major champion decided to play. Recalling and summarizing Mickelson’s PGA Tour career, Golf Digest’s Jammie Kennedy shared on X a comparison between Mickelson and four other skilled golfers of today’s era. In the last 32 years, Mickelson participated in 666 events on the PGA Tour, out of which he won 45 and finished in the top 3 111 times. Lefty was in the top 5 and top 10, 138 times, and 198 times, respectively. He earned a total of $96,685,635 during his time on the Tour.

On the other hand, you get similar numbers when combining Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Viktor Hovland, and Scottie Scheffler’s starts and wins on the PGA Tour. In total, the four stars have earned 45 victories in 666 starts on the PGA Tour. The stat was probably a way to show Mickelson’s incredible career on the PGA Tour, which his LIV Golf decision has overshadowed. Surprisingly, Lefty has not won any event in the Saudi-backed league yet.

Despite the post encapsulating Lefty’s journey on the PGA Tour, many in the golf world couldn’t agree with the comparison as they found it wrong. Let us see what they had to say.

Netizens disagree with Phil Mickelson’s and PGA Tour pros’ comparison

There has always been a comparison between Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus and Woods and Mickelson, but him against some golfers who started decades later on the PGA Tour? Never. That’s why the stat unsettled many golf enthusiasts as this one said, “Compare him to Jack Nicklaus 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️. Scheffler will easily erase Phil’s numbers. He is 28 and has lots of time ahead.” Comparatively, the Golden Bear has had fewer starts (584) and still won 73 times on the PGA Tour. And Scheffler won seven times on the PGA Tour in 2024.

If World No. 1 progresses with the same momentum, certainly he will be closer to Nicklaus’s record and way ahead of Mickelson. Another user disagreed with the stat, although they accepted, “I always enjoyed watching Phil, and he is a great golfer, but comparing his career to that of 4 younger golfers doesn’t prove anything imo…” Technically, Koepka’s PGA Tour career is over since he reportedly joined LIV for a signing bonus of $100 million, and as for JT, Hovland, and Scheffler, it is just a start for them. If they play for the next 20-30 years as well, they may win at least as much or more than him. Reciprocating it, this user said, “This is dumb. Phil’s PGA TOUR career is over. Let’s visit this again in 25 years.” 

While many argued if it was valid to compare Mickelson to younger pros, a few users were all in praising Lefty’s PGA Tour career. One fan said, “One of the all time great players. Second only to Tiger over the last 30 years.” After starting in 1992, Woods joined the Tour in 1996, and since then, a rivalry between the two started. It has been widely agreed upon that if not for Woods, Mickelson would have won more PGA Tour events and the majors. Another admiringly added, “Unbelievable statistic, finishing in top 3 one ☝️ out of every 6 events 17% @PhilMickelson 👏” 

The comparison with four younger golfers might not have made sense to many golf fans, but it cannot be denied that Phil Mickelson was one of the best golfers on the PGA Tour, even if he later decided to shun the circuit altogether.