‘It’s really helped me’: Phil Mickelson credits these secret weapons for fine play

After enduring criticism for his lackluster play in LIV’s opening events last year (his lone top-10 was at LIV Chicago, where he placed eighth), Phil Mickelson is having a resurgence of late.

Though his first three tournaments of LIV’s 2023 season seemed much the same as last year, with Mickelson hanging around the bottom of the leaderboard in 27th, 32nd and 41st, respectively, his performance at the Masters seemingly changed everything.

Mickelson shocked the golf world with rounds of 71-69-75-65 (-8) to finish tied for second with fellow LIV player Brooks Koepka, four shots shy of Jon Rahm’s winning tally.

Mickelson followed that performance with the second-best finish of his LIV career, a T11 at LIV Adelaide.

This week, LIV is playing in Singapore, where Mickelson is currently on track for his best-ever finish on the Saudi-backed circuit. Back-to-back rounds of five-under 66 (-10) at Sentosa Golf Club have him in sole possession of seventh place with one round left to play.

So what gives?

Mickelson provided a few clues to his success after the second round, when one reporter questioned whether his weight-loss was helping him combat the warm, humid climate in Singapore.

“I think so. I think it’s made a big impact,” Mickelson said. “But there’s a couple other things that have been helping me. My brother, my caddie, Tim, has been very helpful. I’ve been using an umbrella, that saved a lot of direct sun, as well as a wet cold wet towel on the back of my neck keeping my temperature down. It’s really helped me with being able to think a little clearer throughout the day without getting overheated.

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“Then I kind of liked the hot temperature because my body is looser, it doesn’t tighten up, I’m able to create a little bit more speed, and so I end up playing a little bit better in it,” he continued. “But the challenge is not overheating.”

Sharpening his focus has been a big issue for Mickelson over the years, and when he gets it right — like he did when he won the 2021 PGA Championship — he can compete with the best in the world, even at age 52.

Can Mickelson continue his hot streak? Time will tell. He starts the third and final round in Singapore at 8:05 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.