I’ve been writing about the history of golf for some 20 years now and more recently, Golf Monthly Editor Neil Tappin and I have presented a vodcast on the history of the elite game called 18 Majors. There are two series if you haven’t already listened.
In my research for countless articles and for 18 Majors, I’ve found numerous stats, records and achievements to include in things I’ve written. Here below I’ve selected the five that impress me the most.
Phil Mickelson’s 26 years inside the world’s top 50
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Phil summed it up when he described it as, “a good run”.
When Phil Mickelson finished runner-up at the Casio World Open on the Japan Golf Tour in November 1993, he entered the world’s top 50 for the first time – and he stayed there for 1,353 straight weeks.
Lefty was 23 years old when he first went into the top 50 and the streak came to an end in November 2019, when Mickelson finished in a tie for 28th at the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions in China.
Shugo Imahira’s runner-up spot at the Mynavi ABC Championship on the Japan Golf Tour saw Mickelson bumped down, just outside the top 50.
He touched back into the top 50 briefly in 2020 and then won the PGA Championship of 2021 and that earned him another stint in the top 50. Doing a bit of my own calculations, I think he has a total of over 1,400 weeks inside the top 50 on the Official World Golf Ranking. Pretty much 27 years.
I don’t know if that will ever be replicated. I think it’s impossible that someone doesn’t have a dip in form, or suffers an injury causing them to fall out, like Tiger for instance… Tiger turned pro in 1996.
It’s hard to see the record ever being challenged.
Perhaps the key to Mickelson’s longevity has been his long and rhythmical swing – coupled, of course, with an exquisite short game.
When the streak came to an end, he talked of a lack of mental sharpness, which is arguably the most impressive aspect of this achievement – his incredible focus over such a long period.
Bobby Jones’ Grand Slam
Bobby Jones at St Andrews
(Image credit: Getty Images)
The greatest ever amateur golfer, Bobby Jones’ brief playing career was one of glittering brilliance. In 1930 he won the US and British Amateurs as well as the US and British…
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