The modern era of professional golf has seen plenty of elite talent. Tiger Woods. Ernie Els. Vijay Singh. Rory McIlroy. Brooks Koepka. Each has made their mark on the game over the last quarter century, and all have won multiple major titles in the process.
If we’re talking all-time greats from the modern era, though, no conversation is complete without Phil Mickelson. The 53-year-old won 45 times on the PGA Tour, including six majors, and is also the oldest player to capture one of the four big ones.
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Anyone who’s gone toe-to-toe with Mickelson over the course of his career knows its no easy task. But one such player, Nick Taylor, not only battled head-to-head with Lefty on a Sunday, but actually came away victorious, earning the Canadian his second career victory at the 2020 Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
“I was so nervous,” Taylor said on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar. “The fans were definitely behind him, but it was fun being in that atmosphere.”
Taylor entered the day with a one-stroke lead over Mickelson, but thanks to a Sunday 70, he bested not only Lefty, but the entire field as he cruised to a four-shot victory. (Mickelson finished solo third at 14 under.)
“I enjoyed playing with him in that scenario,” Taylor said. “I think it’s better for me to just keep my head down and go.”
Check out the entire episode of GOLF’s Subpar below.
