Phil Mickelson has struggled for form throughout the 2024 LIV Golf season so far, but he proved to be a huge asset for teammate Brendan Steele en route to his maiden victory.
Brendan Steele expressed his gratitude towards Phil Mickelson for his LIV Golf breakthrough moment following his victory on the breakaway tour over the weekend.
The 41-year-old American golfer dominated the competition at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia, leading by a significant margin going into the last round. He managed to secure the victory with a four-under-par performance on Sunday, narrowly beating former Open champion Louis Oosthuizen by just one stroke.
Steele, who had previously won three times on the PGA Tour before joining LIV last year, earned a career-best prize of £3.2m. However, he was humble in giving credit to HyFlyers team captain Mickelson for his invaluable contribution to not only improving Steele’s skills but also his mindset.
(Mickelson) inquired about Steele’s well-being and thoughts after Sunday’s significant victory. Steele responded by stating that if he could maintain the same level of freedom in his gameplay as he had in the past couple of days, he believed he had a good chance of success. Mickelson then suggested reframing the mindset by saying, “When I play freely, I can play freely, I will play freely.”
Steele further explained that he initially thought his performance would be good enough, but Mickelson insisted that it would indeed be good enough and encouraged him to focus on playing freely. Steele credited Mickelson as the reason for his presence at the event and his continuous improvement. Despite being 41 years old, Steele acknowledged that he was getting better, largely due to Mickelson’s influence.
Despite facing significant struggles, Mickelson, a six-time major champion, has been unable to regain his best form since joining LIV two years ago. Currently ranked 34th in the season standings, his only glimmer of success came with a tied-sixth finish in Jeddah. On the other hand, Steele’s success shines brightly amidst these challenges.
While Mickelson finished in a tie for 38th in Adelaide, he couldn’t contain his excitement for his teammate, warmly embracing Steele as he walked off the 18th green. However, it’s not all bad news for Mickelson personally. In the team competition, his team, HyFlyers, secured a commendable third place behind Ripper GC and Stinger GC. As a result, both Steele, Andy Ogletree, and Cameron Tringale earned nearly £400,000 in prize money each.
Steele found himself in a few uncomfortable situations as he approached the finish line and his first LIV victory. According to him, the effort he has invested in working with Mickelson has made a significant impact. “I was filled with fear when facing that wedge shot [on 19],” he confessed. “To be completely honest, it’s an incredibly challenging shot.
“I needed to clear the tier but avoid landing in the back bunker. I had 10,000 fans in the fairway, practically right on top of me. Thankfully, all the hard work I’ve dedicated to training with Phil in his backyard during the offseason, and the invaluable guidance he has provided, truly paid off, especially with that particular shot.”
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