Phil Mickelson made history at the PGA Championship on Friday, as he became the first player to hold a lead at a Major championship in the 1990's, 2000's, 2010's and 2020's.
Phil Mickelson Makes History At PGA Championship
Phil Mickelson, who looks to become the oldest ever Major champion, produced a scintillating back nine, with five birdies putting him at five-under-par.
The American, who recently accepted a special exemption into the US Open, hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since the 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Mickelson’s last Major victory came at the 2013 Open Championship. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
Despite two wins on the Champions Tour, Mickelson has struggled for form of late, with his best finish coming at the Masters (T21).
However, five birdies in eight holes put the 50-year-old into the outright lead for the majority of the second round.
If Mickelson were to win, he would receive a five year exemption to the US Open, the only Major the American is yet to win.
Speaking after his round, Mickelson said: “It’s really fun, obviously, to make a putt on the last hole, finish a round like that and then to have that type of support here has been pretty special. But it’s been a lot of fun so far.
“I’ve been playing really well. I was a little shaky on 16, 17 and 18 with the putter, but I was able to make some adjustments and putt well on my back nine (the front) and made a lot of good putts on that side.
“The other thing, too, is my brother is doing a phenomenal job judging the wind, downwind, into the wind, and getting a good picture of how I need to flight it to get 20 yards of help.
“Making that type of adjustments is very difficult to do, and he’s been doing a phenomenal job. We’ve been working very well together as a team, so we’ve been hitting a lot of clubs pin high.”
If Phil Mickelson leads at the end of today's round, he will be the first player to hold the lead after a major championship round in the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s and 2020s.
— Justin Ray (@JustinRayGolf) May 21, 2021
South African, Louis Oosthuizen, who is without a win in the USA, briefly held the lead, before a bogey at the final hole put him back into a tie with Mickelson.
Four time Major champion, Brooks Koepka, also enjoyed a mixed day at Kiawah Island, with two eagles and a birdie being mixed with four bogies.
The American, who has struggled with serious knee injuries, remains just one shot behind the leaders as he remains in contention for his fifth Major title.
Players that would miss out on the weekend included world number one Dustin Johnson, who also missed the cut at the Masters in April.
Johnson missed the cut at the Masters. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
The missed cut was the first time that Johnson had missed multiple cuts in the same year for the first time in 14 years of playing Major championships.
Players champion, Justin Thomas, would also miss the cut, with his putt at the last hole failing to drop.
Other notable absentees from the weekend included: Xander Schauffele, Adam Scott, Sergio Garcia and Tommy Fleetwood.
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