Michaux: Age is only a number to Mickelson

Phil Mickelson is done. He’s too old. His clubs are too rusty. No way he wins another Masters at age 46.

Put that on your refrigerator door, Phil. You’re welcome.

It was 31 years ago when Atlanta Journal-Constitution golf writer Tom McCollister summarized Jack Nicklaus’ chances of winning a sixth green jacket as null and void upon arrival. John Montgomery, a friend of Nicklaus, saw it in the Sunday paper, drove to his rented house in Augusta and stuck it on the refrigerator because he knew Jack would be going to the refrigerator to get his ice cream.

The rest of the 1986 Masters is history. Nicklaus took the bait, shook the rust off his clubs and charged with a closing 30 in what is widely regarded as the greatest Masters victory of all time.

Can Mickelson, who will be precisely seven months older on Sunday than Nicklaus was in 1986, find the magic in that age this week?

“I would say that Phil has a lot better chance of winning this year than I did when I was 46,” Nicklaus said. “Going into the tournament, I had no expectations about winning, at all.”

Other than age, there is little similarity in Mickelson’s form compared with Nicklaus’ in 1986. Nicklaus didn’t entirely disagree with McCollister’s assessment, having spent three months thinking about the Masters and only one week actually preparing for it.

“Once I got myself in contention, I remembered how to play golf,” Nicklaus said. “I was fortunate that the other guys didn’t finish quite as well as they could finish, and I won the golf tournament. But I would say Phil is far better prepared than I am from playing.”

Mickelson’s expectations are far higher.

“This course allows me the opportunity to not be perfect and still shoot a good number and compete, which is why I expect to do well here every year,” he said Tuesday.

Mickelson hasn’t won in nearly four years since winning his fifth major at the Open Championship at Muirfield in 2013, but he’s hardly a fading figure. He’s finished second in the PGA (2014), Masters (2015) and British Open (2016) since. His Sunday duel at Royal Troon last summer, when Henrik Stenson shot 63 to beat Mickelson’s 65, was one of the greatest major performances of all time. Mickelson backed that up with a birdie-fest draw against Sergio Garcia in the Ryder Cup.

“If I can play anywhere close to the way I played at the British Open last year and the Ryder Cup, I should be able to give myself a good opportunity for Sunday,” Mickelson said.

There are plenty of reasons Mickelson wants to claim a fourth green jacket, but becoming the oldest player to do it isn’t one of them.

“I don’t think much about age right now,” he said. “You look at guys like Bernhard Langer who was in the second-to-last group last year (at age 58), I don’t feel as though age is as big a factor as it was decades ago. I feel like the generation that are playing the game now are going to have elongated careers due to fitness.”

Mickelson first came to Augusta National 26 years ago as an amateur and finished 46th. His most cherished highlight of the week was playing a Tuesday practice round with Arnold Palmer.

“I’m kind of the youngest generation that was able to spend enough time with him,” Mickelson said. “He was the Presidents Cup captain in ’96, and I was able to spend all week with him there. I have been able to spend a number of dinners here with him at Augusta.

“People younger than me – and there’s a lot of them here in the field – have not had the opportunity to spend the kind of time that myself and the older players have had a chance to spend with Mr. Palmer. You learn a lot from osmosis with him, just watching the way he interacts and treats people.”

Mickelson’s fan engagement and attacking style have often been compared to Palmer’s, so it would seem appropriate if he could match Palmer’s win record at Augusta National while surpassing Nicklaus’ age standard this week. Mickelson called it “a very awkward feeling” not having Arnie present for the first time in 62 years.

Mickelson remains a favorite any time he comes to Augusta National. The course perfectly suits his daring and aggressive style. But more than anything else, he has the intangibles that 26 years of experience bring to the table.

“I think it’s become more instinctive and more intuitive for me to just know where the pins are that I’m going to play a certain way,” he said. “It doesn’t require a thought process. I know when I’m going to try to attack and make birdies based on where the pin is, based on the wind. It’s just instinctive now.”

Those instincts will only be enhanced if the forecasted wind and cold make matters more difficult in the first two rounds. Mickelson actually welcomes it so it will “magnify the misses.”

“I hope to rely on that knowledge and skill to keep myself in it heading into the weekend where players less experienced with the golf course will possibly miss it in the wrong spots and shoot themselves out,” he said.

Mickelson doesn’t really need any external motivation as Nicklaus did. And he’s far less likely to see it on the refrigerator door since he takes better care of himself to keep pace with the young stars.

“I’ve had to reduce or stop any type of sugar intake, like 95 percent of it,” he said. “It causes so much inflammation in my body and I’m not able to recover. Any type of processed sugar is just a catastrophe for me to eat. Still do though, at times.”

Unlike 1986, it would surprise nobody to see Phil break Jack’s record and slip on another green jacket at the end of the week. Certainly not the champion who set the bar.

“Honestly, age is not an issue to him,” Nicklaus said. “He’s a big guy and he’s a long guy and he’s got a great short game. I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to find him in contention.”