Honestly, when you think about golf in the 2000s, it’s mostly just Tiger. But then there’s Phil. You can’t talk about the modern era of the sport without obsessing over Phil Mickelson PGA wins because they tell a story of someone who was constantly hitting against a ceiling and then finally, spectacularly, shattering it. 45 times, to be exact. That’s a massive number. It puts him eighth on the all-time list, right behind Walter Hagen and ahead of legends like Cary Middlecoff and Tom Watson.
But the number 45 doesn't really capture the chaos. If you watched him in the 90s, he was basically the "best player never to win a major." He’d win a random tournament in Tucson while still an amateur—the 1991 Northern Telecom Open—and everyone thought the floodgates would open. They didn't. Not for the big ones, anyway. He spent over a decade winning "regular" events while the world waited for him to figure out Augusta or the PGA Championship.
The Breakthrough: 2004 and the End of the Drought
For years, it was a joke. A mean one, but a joke. Phil would get close, then he’d try a hero shot from behind a tree and end up in a bunker. Or worse. Then 2004 happened.
The 2004 Masters changed the trajectory of his entire career. Before that Sunday at Augusta, Mickelson was sitting on 22 PGA Tour wins but zero majors. That’s a lot of bridesmaid finishes. When he sunk that 18-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to beat Ernie Els, the jump—that slightly unathletic but totally iconic leap—became the image of his career. It wasn't just another win; it was a relief.
He didn't stop there. He went on a tear. He grabbed the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol by hitting a flop shot from the deep rough that honestly should have been impossible. That’s the thing about Mickelson. He doesn't just win; he wins in a way that makes your heart rate go up.
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Phil Mickelson PGA wins: The Breakdown of 45
If you want the raw data, here is how those 45 wins actually look when you group them by "vibe" and prestige:
- The Masters (3 Wins): 2004, 2006, 2010. Augusta is basically Phil’s backyard. He understands the slopes there better than almost anyone alive. His 2010 win, coming during a period of heavy personal family stress with his wife Amy’s health, is arguably his most emotional performance.
- The PGA Championship (2 Wins): 2005 and the legendary 2021 run. We have to talk about 2021. Nobody—and I mean nobody—expected a 50-year-old to win at Kiawah Island. He became the oldest major winner in history. It was surreal.
- The Open Championship (1 Win): 2013 at Muirfield. For a long time, people thought Phil’s game was too "American" for links golf. Too high, too much spin. Then he went out and shot a final-round 66 to snatch the Claret Jug.
- The Rest (39 Wins): This includes massive titles like the 2007 Players Championship and multiple World Golf Championships (WGC). He’s also a five-time winner at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
He has 57 professional wins worldwide if you count the European Tour and his brief stint on the Champions Tour (where he went 4-for-6 in starts, which is just showing off). But it’s the Phil Mickelson PGA wins that define his Hall of Fame status.
Why He Never Got the Career Grand Slam
It’s the elephant in the room. The U.S. Open.
Six runner-up finishes. 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013.
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In 2006 at Winged Foot, he basically had the trophy in his hands. All he needed was a par on the last hole. He took a driver, hit a tent, tried another hero shot, and made a double bogey. "I am such an idiot," he said afterward. It’s probably the most honest thing a professional athlete has ever said in a press conference. That missing win is what separates him from the "Big Three" of Nicklaus, Woods, and Hogan.
The 2021 PGA Championship: Defying Aging
You can't skip over Kiawah Island. At 50 years, 11 months, and 7 days old, Phil wasn't just playing; he was leading. The wind was howling off the Atlantic. Younger guys like Brooks Koepka were breathing down his neck.
Phil was using "coffee and meditation" to maintain focus. Sounds kinda weird, right? But it worked. He held off the field to secure his 45th and final (to date) PGA Tour win. The scene on the 18th hole, with the crowd swarming him to the point where the police had to clear a path, was the last great "PGA Phil" moment before things got complicated with his move to LIV Golf.
What Most People Get Wrong About His Record
A lot of fans think Phil was just "lucky" with a short game. That’s wrong. To get to 45 wins, you have to be an elite driver of the ball and a statistical monster.
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- Longevity: He spent over 25 years in the top 50 of the world rankings. That’s absurd.
- Consistency: He didn't just have one "peak." He won in 1991 and he won in 2021. That’s a 30-year winning span.
- The Tiger Factor: People forget that Phil did all of this while playing in the peak Tiger Woods era. If Tiger didn't exist, how many wins would Phil have? 60? 70? He finished second to Tiger more times than anyone wants to count.
Actionable Insights for Golf Fans
If you're looking to understand the weight of Phil's career, don't just look at the trophies. Look at the data.
- Study the 2004 Masters Final Round: If you want to see how a "choker" (as he was unfairly called) handles pressure, watch the back nine. It’s a masterclass in aggressive, calculated golf.
- Analyze the Short Game: Phil’s "Hinge and Hold" technique is still the gold standard for amateur golfers trying to improve their chipping.
- Check the All-Time List: Understand that 45 wins puts him in a tier that only a handful of humans have ever touched.
Mickelson's move to LIV in 2022 effectively froze his PGA Tour win count at 45. While he’s technically a life member, he hasn't played a standard Tour event in years. But regardless of the current politics of golf, those 45 wins are etched into the record books. They represent a career of high-risk, high-reward brilliance that we probably won't see again for a long time.
If you want to track his current form, you’ll find him captaining the HyFlyers GC. But for the history books, it’s all about that left-handed swing and the 45 times it ended with a trophy presentation on the 18th green.