Phil Being Phil
Masters 2025: The incredible, clutch Phil Mickelson shot that no one will ever see
Augusta National
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Phil Mickelson was hitting bombs on Augusta National's driving range on Wednesday to the point that Akshay Bhatia was impressed. The two-time PGA Tour winner more than three decades younger, stopped to chat with the three-time Masters champ and asked to see his driver. So, the old guy's still got it.
But it was another shot later in the day that was even more impressive. At least, it sounds more impressive. Unless you were there on the ninth hole for Mickelson's practice round, you missed it. And there won't be any video.
Luckily for us, however, Michael Kim was playing with Phil and he took to Twitter after to describe Lefty's latest legendary shot at Augusta National. The two were paired in a match against Dustin Johnson and long-hitting amateur Noah Kent. And Mickelson came up clutch with an incredible shot on the ninth and final hole.
"We were tied heading into 9," Kim wrote on X. "Phil from the pine straws hit it to tap in with the pin in the middle right tier. Noah Kent also hit a nice shot to about 25 ft. Noah drained the putt to tie the match. Yes, we played for something but we tied and I’m not sharing that detail, sry."
Like we said, the old guy's still got it. And, of course, there was money on the line. Also, kudos to Kent for coming up clutch as well. That will be a moment he remembers for the rest of his life.
And Kim will certainly remember the experience as well. He was still pinching himself as he typed his latest "Augusta diaries" entry.
"I was pretty nervous on that first tee, teeing off with that group and wasn’t comfortable for a few holes but I’m happy with the way I handled it and how my swing felt as I got along the round," Kim added. "It wasn’t an easy day with the wind blowing 10-15 the entire day. The juices got flowing and I feel better prepared for tomorrow."
So far, so good. Kim, making his second Masters start and first since 2019, shot a one-under-par 71 to open the tournament on Thursday. Here's his entire description of a memorable Wednesday:
He also learned that you can learn a lot from playing with a man with three green jackets.
"Phil was just awesome to play a practice round at ANGC," Kim wrote. "We all know what the pins are and with so much experience here, he told me almost on every green which putt to try, which chip to try, and I tried to soak it all in as much as I could."
The only negative? Kim didn't get a photo.
Someone please help him out with that.