In short, at the time of writing, the oldest male golfer to win a major championship was Philip Alfred ‘Phil’ Mickelson, who was 50 years, 11 months and 7 days old when he won the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, South Carolina on May 23, 2021. Mickelson trailed by two shots after the first round, but took a share of the lead after the second, thereby becoming the oldest player since Sam Snead, in 1966, to lead the PGA Championship after 36 holes. He retained the lead after 54 holes, thereby becoming the oldest player to lead a major championship at that stage since Tom Watson, aged 59, at the 2009 Open Championship.
In the final round, Mickelson briefly lost the lead after making a bogey on the first hole, but recovered to lead by two at the turn and, three more bogeys on the back nine, held on to win by that margin. In so doing, he beat the previous record for the oldest winner of a major championship held by compatriot Julius Boros, who won the PGA Championship at Pecan Valley Golf Club in San Antonio, Texas in 1968 at the age of 48 years, 4 months and 18 days.
Born in San Diego, California on June 16, 1970, Mickelson has, at the time of writing, won 45 PGA Tour events, including six major championships. His previous successes at the highest level came at the Masters Tournament, in 2004, 2006 and 2010, the PGA Championship, in 2005, and the Open Championship, in 2013. The victory at Kiawah Island was all the more remarkable for the fact that he was ranked 115 in the world at the time and had not won a major since playing what caddy Jim .
‘Bones’ Mackay called ‘the best round of his career’ to win the Claret Jug at Muirfield Golf Links in East Lothian, Scotland eight years previously.