Phil Mickelson will ring in the new year by ending a 21-year hiatus.
The 51-year-old will end his two-decade-long lull by exercising his invitation to join the winners-only field at the Sentry Tournament of Champions in Hawaii after he became the oldest player to ever win a major at the PGA Championship in May.
Despite notching a PGA Tour win every year but 2003 between 2000-2013, the last time Lefty played in the Sentry Tournament of Champions was 13 months into the new millennium in January 2001.
“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Phil Mickelson back to Kapalua, as his return adds additional star power to an incredibly deep and talented field,” said Alex Urban, the event’s executive director.
Mickelson won the event twice back when it was played at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. In 1994 he beat Fred Couples in a playoff and in ’98 he edged out Tiger Woods and Mark O’Meara by one shot.
As O’Meara and Couples have become stars of yesteryear and Woods’ glory days appear to be behind him, Mickelson will look to start off his 31st year on Tour by notching a 46th victory against the sport’s stars of today such as Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Hideki Matsuyama and Bryson DeChambeau, just as he did on Kiawah Island.