He wasn't supposed to win. Honestly, if you looked at the leaderboard heading into that Sunday at Muirfield, Phil Mickelson was basically an afterthought. He was five shots back. At 43 years old, with a career defined by "almosts" on the most grueling setups in golf, nobody expected the 2013 Open winner to be a guy who had spent two decades struggling to decode links turf. But then, everything shifted.
Muirfield in 2013 was a literal furnace. The ground was baked into something resembling a parking lot, and the rough was a tangled, yellow mess of despair. It was the kind of golf that breaks people. Lee Westwood was leading. Tiger Woods was lurking. Hunter Mahan and Adam Scott were right there. It felt like one of those years where the winner would just be the person who survived the fewest disasters.
Then Phil did something weird. He played smart.
Why the 2013 Open winner shouldn't have been Phil Mickelson
For years, the narrative around Phil was that he was too aggressive for the Open Championship. He hit it too high. He took too many risks. You can't just bomb and gouge your way through a course that's running at 12 on the Stimpmeter from the fairway. Before this specific week in East Lothian, Mickelson had only managed two top-ten finishes in 19 tries at The Open. Nineteen. That's a lot of failure to carry into a Sunday afternoon.
Most people forget that Phil actually won the Scottish Open the week before at Castle Stuart. Usually, that’s a "curse." Winning the week before a Major is often seen as a sign that you've peaked too early. You’ve used up all your lucky bounces. But Phil used that week to get his lag putting perfect. He realized that at Muirfield, the ball wasn't going to stop where it landed. It was going to keep going. And going.
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The legendary back nine at Muirfield
The front nine on Sunday was fine. Steady. But the back nine? That was the greatest stretch of golf Mickelson ever played. Period. He turned in 32. He birdied four of the last six holes. Think about that for a second. In a Major championship, on a course that was essentially a giant, dried-out trampoline, he went four-under-par over the closing stretch.
The 18th hole was the exclamation point. He hit two of the bravest 3-woods you'll ever see to reach the green. When that final putt dropped, the look on his face wasn't just joy. It was total shock. He had finally figured out the puzzle.
The gear shift that changed everything
A huge part of why the 2013 Open winner succeeded came down to a bag change. Phil famously took the driver out of his bag. He didn't even carry one. Instead, he relied on a specialized "Phrankenwood"—a deep-faced 3-wood that kept the ball lower and more controlled.
It was a tactical masterstroke. By sacrificing twenty yards of potential distance, he gained the ability to keep the ball on the planet. Muirfield is famous for its "nested" circles of holes; the wind is always changing direction because the course layout constantly turns. If you hit a high, spinning driver into a crosswind there, you're dead. Phil knew it. He played the ground game better than the Europeans did that year.
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- Course Condition: Bone dry, "burnt" brown grass.
- Key Stat: Phil was the only player to finish under par for the week (-3).
- The Runner Up: Henrik Stenson, who finished three shots back at even par.
- The Collapses: Lee Westwood, Hunter Mahan, and Tiger Woods all failed to break par on Sunday.
What people get wrong about that Sunday
The common memory is that the field collapsed. That’s not entirely true. While Lee Westwood certainly struggled, shooting a 75, the reality is that Phil took the trophy. He didn't wait for it to be handed to him.
His birdie on the par-3 13th was the spark. Then he stuffed an iron shot on 14. By the time he reached the par-5 17th, he was tied for the lead. Most players would have played for a safe par and hoped for a playoff. Phil hit a massive second shot to the back of the green and two-putted for birdie. He put the pressure on everyone else, and they folded under the weight of his 66. It was the lowest round of the day by two strokes.
The Tiger Woods factor
Everyone was watching Tiger. This was back when people still expected Tiger to win every Major he was close to. He started the day just two back of Westwood. But the 2013 Open winner wasn't going to be Woods; he couldn't get the speed of the greens right. He looked frustrated. He looked old. It was a weird role reversal where Phil looked like the one with the "Tiger-esque" clinical finish, and Tiger looked like the guy struggling with his nerves.
Why this win still matters for golf fans
This wasn't just another trophy for the mantle. This win completed the third leg of the Career Grand Slam for Mickelson. It left him only needing the U.S. Open—a quest that has since become the stuff of legend and heartbreak.
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But more than that, it proved that a "power player" could adapt. It changed how American players prepared for the British summer. You started seeing more guys skip the heavy practice at home to go play the Scottish Open. You saw more players ditching the driver for "driving irons" or low-launch woods. Phil provided the blueprint for how to win on a fast, firm links course without being a "links specialist."
The emotional weight of the Claret Jug
If you watch the footage of Phil holding the Claret Jug, he’s actually getting choked up. This is a guy who won three Masters. He’s won a PGA. But he always felt like he was missing something by not winning in the UK. He felt like his game was incomplete. Winning at Muirfield—one of the "purest" tests in the rotation—validated him as a complete golfer.
Actionable insights for your next round
You probably aren't playing Muirfield this weekend, but there's a lot to learn from how the 2013 Open winner handled himself.
- Leave the driver in the car. If it’s a windy day or the fairways are tight, your ego is your biggest enemy. Phil won a Major without a driver. You can break 90 without one.
- Focus on the second half of the putt. On fast greens, Phil talked about "visualizing the entry." He wasn't trying to hit the back of the cup; he was trying to let the ball die into the hole.
- Adapt your trajectory. Phil practiced hitting "stingers" for months leading up to July. If you only have one ball flight, you're at the mercy of the weather. Learn to move the ball back in your stance when the wind picks up.
- Forget the leaderboard. Phil was five back. He didn't look at a scoreboard until the 16th hole. He just focused on posting a number. Focus on your own scorecard, not what the guy in the group ahead is doing.
The 2013 Open Championship was a masterclass in grit. It showed that even at 43, you can reinvent your game. Phil Mickelson went from being a links-golf skeptic to the champion of the world's oldest tournament in the span of four hours. It remains one of the most impressive final rounds in the history of the sport.
Next Steps for Golf History Buffs
- Watch the Highlights: Search for "Phil Mickelson 2013 Open Final Round" on YouTube to see the specific 3-wood shots on 17 and 18.
- Study the Course: Look up the Muirfield course map to understand why the wind directions are so notoriously difficult to judge.
- Compare the Stats: Check the 2013 leaderboard against the 2002 Open at Muirfield to see how much course conditions impact winning scores.