Phil Mickelson just did something he’s never done before

Phil Mickelson defected to LIV Golf in 2022. He was one of the first big names to move on from the PGA Tour. Others followed suit and have in the years to come, but Mickelson was one of their biggest gets. He’s also been one of their top players in terms of speaking up on behalf of the tour.

That alone has been good for LIV, but Mickelson’s play hasn’t always been. That said, he just did something in Hong Kong that he’s never done before. It was a fantastic outing for the golfer long known by golf fans as “Lefty.”

Phil Mickelson makes podium for first time ever at LIV Golf

Throughout his entire golf career, Phil Mickelson has never stood on an individual podium at an LIV Golf event. At least, that was true prior to the weekend. In Hong Kong, Mickelson finally put in a dominant performance and made his way onto the podium.

Mickelson was four shots back of Sergio Garcia, the winner, but was on the podium in third place for the first time in his career.  “The fact is I’m hitting a lot of good shots, I’m playing some good golf,” said Mickelson per ESPN, who is set to play in the Masters next month. “This is a building week as I continue to build into LIV and my goal of accomplishing a win in LIV as well as winning another major or getting ready for Augusta.”

The weekend was ultimately Garcia’s, though. He wants to play in the Ryder Cup this year, and this kind of performance will be what helps him in the eyes of the captains. He said, “It was nice to see not only that I was doing well and leading the tournament, but my teammates were playing great. They were keeping us there with a chance to win. Obviously when you can pull the double, it’s a lot sweeter than if it’s just one of them. Very proud of them.”

Garcia also said he really enjoys the LIV format and the team aspect. That has, like it did last time out, allowed him to experience the win without beating the rest of the field. In this case, he was the one who beat the rest of the field and helped his team have a better score than they otherwise would’ve. Both Mickelson and Garcia, as former champions, will be in the field for the Masters.