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Phil Mickelson Outside of Top 100 in World Golf Ranking for 1st Time Since 1993

Joseph Zucker@@JosephZuckerX.com LogoFeatured ColumnistMarch 8, 2021

Phil Mickelson follows his approach shot to the 10th green of the Spyglass Hill Golf Course during the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am golf tournament, Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021, in Pebble Beach, Calif. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
Eric Risberg/Associated Press

Phil Mickelson slipped out of the top 100 in the World Golf Ranking. 

Mickelson sat 98th in the WGR through Feb. 28. According to ESPN's Bob Harig, the five-time major champion is now 101st, ending a streak of 1,425 weeks in which he was one of the top 100 golfers in the world.

Mickelson has made four starts across the PGA and European Tours in 2021. He missed the cut in the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and The American Express while tying for 53rd in the Farmers Insurance Open and Saudi International.

Losing his status as a top-100 golfer doesn't carry a ton of practical weight for somebody who's already in the World Golf Hall of Fame, but it serves as a symbol of where Mickelson is in his career.

The 50-year-old made his debut on the PGA Tour Champions circuit last August. Since winning the Open Championship in 2013, he has notched just two victories (the 2018 WGC-Mexico Championship and 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am). His last top-10 finish in a major was at the 2016 Open Championship.

Mickelson was once one of the most consistent stars on the Tour. His 44 career victories are ninth-most in history.

But even the sport's greatest legends inevitably fell victim to Father Time, and now Mickelson isn't being spared.

The San Diego native is part of the field for the Players Championship, which tees off Thursday at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Perhaps he can get his 2021 season back on track and reclaim a top-100 place.