5 Reasons Why Mickelson Win Is Good For Golf

Why Lefty's latest title, the PGA Championship, is worth celebrating.

5 Reasons Why Mickelson Win Is Good For Golf

In case you didn't know already, Phil Mickelson is the oldest player ever to win a Major Championship - 50, nearly 51, in fact.

Not every Major Championship makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.

This one did - it was one for the ages.

Mickelson's PGA Championship victory wasn't just good for the man himself - Major title number six and undisputed legendary status - it was also good for golf.

Here's why...

5 Reasons Why Mickelson Win Is Good For Golf

Inspiration

Yes, it's entertaining when the latest twenty-something bursts through, but this was an extra special win, a throwback victory from one of the game's true legends.

It's a win that will inspire others. Lefty even said it himself.

"I hope that others find that inspiration," said the six-time Major winner.

"It might take a little extra work, a little bit harder effort to maintain physically or maintain the skills, but gosh, is it worth it in the end."

Golfers, young, old and in everyone in between will already be grafting away on the range - and that's got to be good for golf.

And how about the inspiration this victory will give to his fellow competitors?

Good For The Game's Image

We know golf is fun - but that's not always how our great sport is perceived in the wider world.

Mickelson's win on Sunday showcased everything that's great about the game - power, shot making, bottle and touch.

What sets him apart is his ability to entertain - he's a risk taker and someone capable of playing extraordinary shots.

How many people would have watched the action unfold on Sunday - perhaps those with little or no previous interest in golf - and felt the urge to pick up a golf club?

Golf needs entertainers like Mickelson and so long as he's playing he'll attract new faces to the game.

Other Players Will Have To Raise Their Game

Recent victories for the likes of Mickelson and Lee Westwood can only be good for golf.

In recent months we've witnessed a certain Bryson DeChambeau take the game to a new level in terms of power and distance - and it's fuelled the debate that golf is a young man's game.

Well, Mickelson gave them all a schooling.

There aren't many sports where you can have an age gap of 30-plus years between the players - it adds another level of intrigue.

The Grand Slam Is Back On

Let's be honest, pretty much everyone had given up hope that Mickelson would ever join that exclusive group of golfers to have won the career Grand Slam.

Now it's very much back on.

What a story it would be if he went to Torrey Pines in June and captured that elusive US Open title.

In more recent times the focus has been on Rory McIlroy's quest to claim a Green Jacket, and Jordan Spieth's push for the Wanamaker Trophy.

Now all eyes are back on Phil and with that belief revived, you wouldn't bet against Major title number seven.

One Last Ryder Cup?

We won't be seeing Tiger Woods compete on our screens any time soon - possibly ever again - but at least we still have Lefty.

A certain generation of fans wasn't quite ready to say goodbye to these two legends.

Mickelson isn't going anywhere - and might we just see him play in the Ryder Cup one last time?

If he can perform like that at Kiawah Island, imagine how handy he could be at Whistling Straits.

Mickelson hasn't missed the Ryder Cup since 1995 and, frankly, the contest wouldn't be the same without him.