Phil Mickelson has been saying he was going to win again soon and Lefty was right.
Mickelson claimed the 43rd victory of his PGA Tour career with a par on the first playoff hole to turn back red-hot Justin Thomas and win the WGC-Mexico Championship at Club de Golf Chapultepec in Mexico City.
“I don’t know what to say because it’s been a tough go the last four years,” said the 47-year-old Mickelson, whose last victory came in the 2013 Open Championship at Muirfield. “It feels incredible and I feel like there’s more to come because I think I’m playing some of my best golf. I’ve worked hard and to have it all culminate with a victory in a World Golf Championship here in Mexico City is amazing.
“I still love the challenge and today makes it all worthwhile. I felt the nerves today because I hadn’t been in the final group for a while, but I enjoy that. … I just had the belief that I could still win.”
The third-ranked Thomas, 24, who had won seven of his last 31 PGA Tour events, holed his second shot for eagle on the final hole of regulation to finish off a 7-under-par 64 and take a two-stroke lead with several players left on the course.
Mickelson made a two-putt birdie on the 15th hole and added a 19-foot birdie putt on the next hole to tie for the lead before finishing with two pars to shoot 66 to catch Thomas, who shot 62 in round three, at 16-under 268.
Thomas, after waiting for more than an hour for the playoff, hit his tee shot long on the first extra hole at the par-3 16th, chunked his chip shot out of the rough and missed a10-foot par putt that would have kept things going.
“It’s a bummer, but I guess I was pumped up, a little too much adrenalin, and flew my gap wedge more than 162 yards (in the playoff),” said Thomas, who was the PGA Tour Player of the Year last season after claiming five victories, before adding two more this season.
“The shot on 18 was unbelievable and I played great golf the last two days. I’m probably more proud of myself than I have ever been.”
Tyrell Hatton of England caught Thomas atop the leaderboard with an 11-foot eagle putt on the 15th hole and could have been part of the playoff, but he missed an 11-foot par putt on the last hole to shoot 67 and finish one stroke back in a tie for third with Rafa Cabrera Bello of Spain, who birdied three of the last six holes for another 67.
Kiradech Aphibarnrat of Thailand had four birdies on the back nine in a 65 that left him three shots behind in a tie for fifth with Brian Harman, who carded a 68, while top-ranked Dustin Johnson, the defending champion, closed with a 69 and was another stroke down in a tie for seventh with Masters champion Sergio Garcia of Spain, who totaled 70.
Bubba Watson, who won the Genesis Open two weeks ago at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, shot 67 and wound up six strokes behind in a tie for ninth with Adam Hadwin of Canada, who totaled 66, and Shubhankar Sharma of India, who led after the second and third rounds but closed with a 74.
Fourth-ranked Jordan Spieth tied for 14th after a 70, second-ranked Jon Rahm of Spain tied for 20th after another 70 and fifth-ranked Justin Rose of England shot 67 to wind up in a tie for 37th that included seventh-ranked Rickie Fowler of Murrieta, who came in at 75.
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