Phil Mickelson became the third player and second this year to win his first two starts on the PGA TOUR Champions, slamming the door on Mike Weir with a back-nine surge Sunday in the Dominion Energy Charity Classic.
Mickelson closed with a seven-under 65 to finish at 17-under, three strokes better than second-round leader Weir, the fellow 50-year-old left-hander who had a 71. Mickelson was a stroke off the tournament record set last year by Miguel Angel Jimenez.
He’s done it again! @PhilMickelson after second win. https://t.co/JPTFcJ2JxL
— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) October 18, 2020
The winner in late August at Ozarks National in Missouri in his first start on the Tour, Mickelson joined Bruce Fleischer and Jim Furyk as the only players to win in their first two PGA TOUR Champions events. Fleischer accomplished the feat in 1999 and Furyk did it this year with victories at The Ally Challenge and Pure Insurance Championship.
Mickelson described his decision to play in Virginia as the start of his Masters preparations with a focus on accurate driving and competitive fitness, and it worked.
“I have a lot of fun playing out here because I can play aggressive, I can get away with a couple of misses, and I can play the way I like to play and see a lot of the guys I haven’t seen in a while,” Mickelson said. “And then to play a little bit more attacking style, I really enjoy that.”
Mickelson, who hasn’t won on the PGA Tour since early 2019 at Pebble Beach, plans to return to the PGA Tour next week for the Zozo Championship in California.
After a week off, he’ll play in the Houston Open as his final preparation for the Masters Tournament on Nov. 12-15.
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