Phil Mickelson on how a bad diet led to him developing arthritis and how his new regime is paying off
- American, in Macau to lead a coaching workshop, was known for his bad diet during the most successful years of his career
- The hall-of-famer hopes to turn around a poor spell of form and keep top 50 record run alive in Shanghai next week
For all the optimism about the current state of his game after sweeping lifestyle changes, there was still a hint of disappointment in Phil Mickelson’s voice as he discussed regrets about his health and how his form has deteriorated in recent months.
In Macau on Monday to run a Sands China junior coaching clinic with Chinese No 1 Li Haotong, the hall-of-famer spoke about his struggles and how the implementation of a new lifestyle regime – consisting of a nutritional makeover, dieting, yoga, hiking and a tough workout plan, has dramatically altered how he feels on and off the course.
“I wasn’t playing well and I wasn’t feeling good about myself,” Mickelson said. “I wasn’t recovering as fast as I wanted to after the rounds and I was feeling tired and not focused towards the end of the round. I felt that the first step in getting that back was getting in better shape – getting lighter, and what I’ve noticed is that I’ve recovered faster.”
The most successful spell in “Lefty’s” glittering career was during the 2000s when he secured three majors (and another in 2010) as well as four second-place finishes at the US Open. But it was during that period when some of Mickelson’s unusual eating habits became well documented.
Paul Azinger recounted a story of Mickelson taking breakfast at the Ryder Cup in 2002: “I look over at Phil, and he’s got a plate loaded with three waffles topped with two fried eggs. Lots of butter and plenty of syrup. And he’s washing it down with a Diet Coke,” Azinger claimed.