Phil Mickelson is Nervous About His Future and He Should Be

Phil Mickelson hasn’t won a tournament since claiming his fifth major at the 2013 Open Championship. Despite that, Mickelson was still the second biggest earner in golf in 2015. Of his total $52,301,730 earnings, only $2,301,730 came from his play on the course.

The decline of his game led Mickelson to split from long-time coach Butch Harmon and now the 45-year-old nervous about his future in the sport in which he’s had so much success.

"“I’m optimistic, but I’m also nervous because it’s been a little while since I’ve played to the level I expect to,” Mickelson said. “I’m hopeful that this offseason, the work I’ve put in, will get my swing back on the plane that it has been in the past and allow me to hit the shots I’ve been able to hit as I did in the past.”"

Mickelson’s biggest problem has been the drop in his strokes gained from tee-to-green. In 2011 Mickelson ranked third in that category, but over the last few years that number has gone up to 26th in 2012, 25th in 2013, 43rd in 2014, and 65th in 2015, which is the highest he’s ever ranked since the stat began being used in 2004. Sure there are other issues with Phil’s game; his driving accuracy has never been that great and he continues to struggle hitting greens in regulation, but he’s always found a way to get up and down and make birdies.

"“It’s telling me that I’m getting the ball in play, or close enough to the green to where I can make birdies,” he said. “So leading in par-4 birdies is I think one of the most important statistics, because we also have so many of them throughout a round, and that has been not the strength that it usually is in my career.”"

With young guys like Spieth dominating the top of leaderboards weekly, Mickelson should definitely be concerned about his future. At 45-years-old, it’s only going to get tougher for him to hold off the field of young guys who respect him so much.

Mickelson’s next appearance will be January 21-24 at the Career Builder Challenge at PGA West TPC Stadium Course in La Quinta, California.

[via GolfChannel]