Phil Mickelson eclipsed a moment of magic from Justin Thomas to beat his compatriot in a playoff at the WGC-Mexico and secure his first title since winning the Open in 2013.
The American pair finished tied on 16 under par after an enthralling final round at Chapultepec Golf Club.
Mickelson saw his birdie putt lip out at the first playoff hole – the par-three 17th – but when Thomas failed to get down in two from behind the green, the 47-year-old had his first victory in almost five years.
Saffa leaderboard:
- T30 – Oosthuizen, Grace, Burmester
- T48 – Schwartzel
- T55 – Frittelli
- T60 – Stone
‘I can’t put into words how much this means to me, it’s been a long time as you say,’ said Mickelson, who had finished fifth, second and sixth in his last three tournaments coming into this week.
‘My game is starting to get to a level that is some of my best golf and it seems like it’s just in time. It’s nice to be in that small circle called the winner’s circle; I haven’t been in it for a while.’
England’s Tyrrell Hatton, who missed out on extra holes after a bogey at the last, and Spain’s Rafael Cabrera-Bello tied for third on 15 under.
Cabrera-Bello had made the first move on Sunday when he chipped in from a bunker for eagle at the 1st to catch overnight leader Shubhankar Sharma before the Indian had even teed off.
A bogey on the 17th looked to have derailed his challenge, but Thomas spun his 120-yard approach back into the cup at the 18th to set a daunting clubhouse target with a round of 64.
Hatton joined him when he followed a birdie on the 14th with an eagle from 11 feet on the 15th, while Mickelson birdied the 15th and 16th before his 25-foot effort on the next missed by a whisker.
With both needing a birdie on the last, Hatton and Mickelson miscued their approaches and the former was unable to get up and down, but the five-time Major winner held his nerve from five feet to seal a closing 66 before a par at the first playoff hole saw him become the oldest winner of a World Golf Championships event.
Sharma shot a closing 74 as the Race to Dubai Rankings, presented by Rolex, leader marked his WGC debut with a tie for ninth.
