Phil Mickelson’s results in his three seasons with LIV Golf have not been extraordinary, but his performances there have been remarkable nonetheless. At 54 years of age, ‘Lefty’ is still competing at a professional level virtually free of injury, and has even posted more than a few well below-average rounds.

His physical condition has a lot to do with this. Mickelson has maintained an enviable level of fitness, particularly in the latter stages of his career.

What few would have expected is that he would give credit for this to Tiger Woods, as he did in a recent interview for Golf Digest Australia.

The rivalry between the two legends, both on and off the course, is well known. However, Mickelson explained that it was none other than Woods who made fitness a must in the preparation of professional golfers.

“I do wish I had dove in and learned more about nutrition. When I started playing golf though fitness wasn’t even an issue. It wasn’t until Tiger [Woods] came along— he was years behind me—that it really got to be accepted and then got to grow.”

Mickelson went on to say that the success of Tiger Woods’ approach to preparation led to the creation of the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI), which is dedicated to providing golf-specific training and injury prevention to professional golfers. Like so many of his peers, the six-time major champion sought out the help of TPI and began training there in 2003.

But Mickelson admitted that even then, he didn’t pay as much attention to nutrition as he would have liked. What he and his trainer did do was work with a long career in mind.

“When I started working out with my trainer in 2003, 21 years ago, we went into it with the idea of elongating my career rather than trying to perform great for a short period of time… I wish I had dived in a little bit more on nutrition—I didn’t. I don’t think it would have led to my winning more or anything, but it sure would have been nice to be accountable for my health at a younger age.”

Since 2003, he has won 24 of his 45 career PGA Tour events, including all his six major championships. With his victory at the 2021 PGA Championship at age 51, Phil Mickelson became the oldest player to win a major in professional golf. In 2023, approaching his 53rd birthday, he still managed to finish second in the Masters Tournament.

Mickelson and Woods have been the game’s top stars for much of their respective careers. Woods is one of the most decorated players in history with 82 PGA Tour titles, including 15 major championships.

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