NAPA, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 12: Phil Mickelson hits his tee shot on the 16th hole during round three of the Safeway Open at Silverado Resort on September 12, 2020 in Napa, California. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. (AP) — The Latest on the PGA Championship (all times local):
7:09 p.m.
Phil Mickelson has made history at the PGA Championship as the oldest, at 50, winner in major championship history.
Mickelson finished off his 73 with a simple par on the 72nd hole to the wild cheers of fans at the Ocean Course.
Mickelson raised his arms in triumph and hugged his caddie, his brother Tim, for his sixth career major and second PGA win joining his Wanamaker Trophy from Baltusrol in 2005.
Mickelson broke the previous mark for oldest player that was held by 48-year-old Julius Boros in winning the 1968 PGA Championship.
Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka tied for second. Oosthuizen had a 73 and Koepka, who held the lead after the first hole, finished with a 74.
British Open champion Shane Lowry, 49-year-old Padraig Harrington, Harry Higgs and Paul Casey tied for fourth, four shots behind Mickelson.
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6:55 p.m.
Phil Mickelson has a two-stroke lead and one hole left on his try at history in the PGA Championship.
Mickelson fell to 6-under at a bogey on the par-3 17th. Still, he’s taking a two-stroke edge over Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka into the 72nd hole of the year’s second major.
Mickelson would like four simple, uncomplicated shots to become, at 50, the oldest to win a major championship. It would also be Mickelson’s sixth career major and second PGA Championship, joining his victory at Baltursrol in 2005.
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6:40 p.m.
Phil Mickelson has a three-shot lead with two holes left at the PGA Championship. But those are two of the most difficult holes at the Ocean Course in the 17th and 18th.
The par-3 17th is playing second toughest for the week while the par-4 18th is playing eighth hardest. Mickelson can attest to both, having gone 2-over par on them the first three rounds.
He hasn’t made a birdie on either so far and had bogeys on each of them in the second round on Friday.
Mickelson is three in front of Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka in his chase for history to become, at 50-year-old, the oldest major winner in golf history.
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6:20 p.m.
Phil Mickelson is once again squandering his big lead on the back nine at the PGA Championship.
Mickelson carried a five-shot lead into the final nine holes Saturday before holding on to lead by a stroke.
He was at 8 under and four in front in the final round at the Ocean Course after a birdie on the 10th hole. But consecutive bogeys on the 13th and 14th holes have cut the margin to three strokes over Louis Oosthuizen.
Mickelson had four holes remaining as the 50-year-old attempts to become golf’s oldest winner at a major championship.
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5:50 p.m.
Brooks Koepka only has to look at the Ocean Course’s par 5s to see where he came up short at the PGA Championship.
Koepka gave away shots on the first three par 5s in Sunday’s final round, falling out of the lead with the first two and out of contention with the last.
Koepka was a shot ahead of Phil Mickelson when he made a double-bogey 7 on the second hole to fall behind. Tied with Mickelson at the top coming to the seventh, Koepka made a bogey to drop into second.
And when Koepka made bogey on the par-5 11th, he was five shots in back of Mickelson with holes running out.
Koepka played the par 5s in 7-under during the tournament’s first two rounds. He’s gone 2 over so far on the weekend with only one, the 16th, remaining.
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5:10 p.m.
Phil Mickelson has widened his lead at the PGA Championship.
Mickelson made his fourth birdie of the day on the 10th hole to move to 8 under and take a four-shot lead over Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka at the Ocean Course on Sunday.
The crowd went crazy when Mickelson’s putt rolled in. Moments later, Koepka missed a par-saving putt to drop down with just eight holes remaining.
The 50-year-old Mickelson is trying to become golf’s oldest to win a major.
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4:50 p.m.
Phil Mickelson is a back nine away from history at the PGA Championship. But what a back nine it is at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island.
Mickelson is at 7-under par and is two shots in front of Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka as they start the tournament’s final stretch.
Should Mickelson prevail, the 50-year-old would become the oldest major champion in golf history. He’ll need to navigate a tricky back nine that has confounded the game’s best throughout the week.
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4:25 p.m.
Phil Mickelson is back on top at the PGA Championship after the seventh hole following his third birdie of the final round.
Mickelson moved to 7-under par, two shots ahead of Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen.
Koepka had been tied with Mickelson for the lead a hole earlier, but he put his second shot on No. 7 right of the fairway and could not save par. It was Koepka’s second error on a par 5 this round at the Ocean Course.
The 50-year-old Mickelson is trying to become the oldest to win one of golf’s four majors. Koepka is seeking his third PGA title in the past four years.
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4:10 p.m.
Another hole, another shift atop the leaderboard at the PGA Championship.
Brooks Koepka’s birdie on the sixth hole combined with Phil Mickelson’s bogey have the two tied at 6-under par in Sunday’s final round at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island.
Koepka put his approach shot within 3 feet to move up. Mickelson hit his second shot over the green and could not save par.
Koepka is seeking his third PGA title in the past four years. The 50-year-old Mickelson is trying to become golf’s oldest to win a major championship.
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3:50 p.m.
Phil Mickelson used some of his Lefty magic to extend his lead at the PGA Championship.
After landing in a bunker on the par-3 fifth hole, Mickelson blasted out and into the cup for birdie to move to 7-under par. He’s two shots in front of Kevin Streelman and Brooks Koepka.
Mickelson lifted his wedge in the air in celebration after the ball rolled into the cup. The large crowd following him erupted in cheers.
The 50-year-old is chasing history as he tries to become the oldest player to win one of golf’s four major titles.
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3:20 p.m.
Just like that, Phil Mickelson is back out front at the PGA Championship.
One hole after losing the lead, Lefty regained it with a birdie on the par-5 second hole as Brooks Koepka shot a double-bogey seven.
Koepka struggled around the second green, his third shot out of a sandy, scrubby area going just a few feet and leading to his miscue.
Mickelson moved to 7-under par and was two ahead of Koepka, Louis Oosthuizen and Kevin Streelman.
The 50-year-old Mickelson is trying to become the oldest player to win one of golf’s four major titles.
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2:55 p.m.
It took just one hole for Brooks Koepka to take the lead away from Phil Mickelson at the PGA Championship.
Koepka rolled in a 13-footer for birdie to move to 7-under par while Mickelson made bogey after driving in the rough and leaving his approach some 45 feet from the cup. He could not save par and dropped to 6 under.
The 50-year-old Mickelson is attempting to become the oldest player to win one of golf’s four major titles.
Koepka is seeking his third PGA Championship win in the past four seasons.
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2:35 p.m.
Phil Mickelson has begun his chase of history at the PGA Championship, where the 50-year-old tries to become the oldest player to win a major title.
Mickelson started the round with a one-stroke lead over playing partner Brooks Koepka, who is hoping to add another PGA title to ones he won in 2018 and 2019.
Louis Oosthuizen, who shared the 36-hole lead with Mickelson, is two shots off the lead. Longtime PGA Tour pro Kevin Streelman is another stroke back in fourth.
The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island appears to be playing a bit easier, with the wind milder and blowing in a different direction. The pressure on those trying to win won’t ease until the final putt drops in a few hours.
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1:20 p.m.
Abraham Ancer posted the lowest score of the PGA Championship with his 65 in the final round.
Ancer had seven birdies and no bogeys to finish at 1-under par for the tournament. He took advantage of the milder, less windy conditions at the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. There might be more such low rounds ahead; leader Phil Mickelson and second-place Brooks Koepka tee off in about an hour.
Wind coming off the Atlantic battered the course for much of the first three rounds, confounding the world’s best golfers in the year’s second major.
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noon
On the fourth and final day, it’s a new look at Kiawah Island for the PGA Championship. The early scoring looks different, too.
The wind is strong for a final round that features Phil Mickelson with a one-shot lead over Brooks Koepka as the 50-year-old tries to become golf’s oldest major champion. But it’s coming out of the opposite direction.
Garrick Higgo of South Africa made eight birdies in his round of 69. Justin Rose already is 5 under for his round through seven holes.
The par-3 17th hole is playing its full length at 231 yards because of the helping wind. The PGA of America also moved up the tee on No. 3 so that it’s easily reached with less than driver.
The early indication is to expect low scores and fireworks on a sunny day.
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