Phil Mickelson

Philip Alfred Mickelson (born June 16, 1970) is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 38 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed. According to estimates by Fortune Magazine, Mickelson's income for 2007 was over $51 million, with $47 million coming from endorsements.As a professional competitor, Mickelson's playing style is described by many as "aggressive" and highly social.Sometimes, his strategy towards difficult shots (bad lies, obstructions) tends to be what may be considered risky and a gamble.

On April 11, 2010, Mickelson won the 2010 Masters Tournament with a 16-under-par performance, giving him a three stroke win over Lee Westwood in Augusta, Georgia. The win marked the third Masters victory for Mickelson and his fourth major championship overall.Critical to Mickelson's win was a dramatic run in the third round on Saturday in which Mickelson, trailing leader Westwood by five strokes as he prepared his approach shot to the 13th green, proceeded to make eagle, then to hole-out for eagle from 141 yards at the next hole, the par 4 14th, then on the next, the par 5 15th, to miss eagle from 81 yards by mere inches. After tapping in for birdie at 15, Mickelson, at -12, led Westwood, at -11, who had bogeyed hole 12 and failed to capitalize on the par 5 13th, settling for par.Mickelson, who was one of the favorites for the U.S. Open at Pebble Beach, shot 74 and 66 on Thursday and Friday to sit a shot off the lead. However two weekend scores of 73 gave him a T4 finish. During the rest of the 2010 season, Mickelson had multiple opportunities to become the number one player in the Official World Golf Rankings following the travails of TIger Woods. However a string of low finishes by Mickelson saw the number one spot eventually go to Englishman Lee Westwood.

Being a very popular golfer as well as a successful one, Mickelson is able to earn far more from endorsements than he does in prize money. According to a Sports Illustrated feature entitled "The Fortunate 50," Mickelson is the second-highest paid athlete in the world, behind only Tiger Woods. According to estimates by Fortune Magazine, Mickelson's income for 2007 was over $51 million, with $47 million coming from endorsements. Major companies which Mickelson currently endorses are KPMG, ExxonMobil (Mickelson and wife Amy started a teacher sponsorship fund with the company), Rolex, Barclays, and Callaway Golf. He was previously associated with Titleist and Ford, but their relationships have ended.