Phil Mickelson Helps PGA Tour Hopeful Prepare For Q-School In 'Coolest Experience'

Phil Mickelson gave up almost an entire weekend to help out veteran pro Mark Baldwin to prepare for Q-School, even inviting him to his house to work on his short game

Phil Mickelson catches a golf ball
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Paul Higham
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Phil Mickelson gets perhaps more than his fair share of negative press, but he's getting almost universal praise for giving up his time to help a veteran pro try and get onto the PGA Tour.

Mark Baldwin had "the coolest experience of my golf life" after Mickelson agreed to meet him for an impromptu short game clinic and both a nine-hole and 18-hole match in California.

What's more, the six-time Major champion even invited Baldwin to his home to work on his game ahead of him competing in the second stage of PGA Tour Q-School.

Renowned qualifying follower, Ryan French, creator of the @acaseofthegolf1 account on X, sent a hopeful message to Mickelson on social media to help out 40-year-old Baldwin in his bid to get back onto the PGA Tour.

Not only did Lefty respond, but he really took Baldwin under his wing, playing two rounds on the golf course with him and also helping him sharpen up his short game. 

And who better to get short game tips off than one of the best wedge players we've ever seen in the world of golf.

French documented what happened in several posts in X, saying Mickelson only took three hours to respond to his original message: "They played a 9-hole match last night," French wrote on X.

"Phil invited him to his house this morning to help w(ith) short game and now they are playing an 18-hole match. Amazing of Phil. One of the best players of our time helping a guy get ready for 2nd stage. Truly unreal."

French, who also added that Mickelson has helped out several other players preparing for Q-School, rejected some talk of the LIV Golf star doing this for positive publicity, with more details of exactly the lengths Mickelson went to in order to help Baldwin out, which involved a full day hitting balls without any cameras around.

"For the “he did it for PR” (which I know is a small minority) crowd," French added. "I just talked with @markbaldwin1 and Phil worked with him from 8am until dark. Hundreds of balls, 18 holes, and more practice after. Not a single camera around. Just a legend helping out a guy trying to make it."

Paul Higham
Paul Higham
Contributor

Paul Higham is a sports journalist with over 20 years of experience in covering most major sporting events for both Sky Sports and BBC Sport. He is currently freelance and covers the golf majors on the BBC Sport website.  Highlights over the years include covering that epic Monday finish in the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor and watching Rory McIlroy produce one of the most dominant Major wins at the 2011 US Open at Congressional. He also writes betting previews and still feels strangely proud of backing Danny Willett when he won the Masters in 2016 - Willett also praised his putting stroke during a media event before the Open at Hoylake. Favourite interviews he's conducted have been with McIlroy, Paul McGinley, Thomas Bjorn, Rickie Fowler and the enigma that is Victor Dubuisson. A big fan of watching any golf from any tour, sadly he spends more time writing about golf than playing these days with two young children, and as a big fair weather golfer claims playing in shorts is worth at least five shots. Being from Liverpool he loves the likes of Hoylake, Birkdale and the stretch of tracks along England's Golf Coast, but would say his favourite courses played are Kingsbarns and Portrush. 

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