SHANGHAI (AP) The streak ended with little fanfare, and that was just fine with Phil Mickelson.
He slashed his way to a tie for 28th in the HSBC Champions, with only 100 or so fans following along. Mickelson played his last nine holes right behind Rory McIlroy, but only because Lefty was in the first group to tee off on the back nine. He signed for a 68 in his final round of the year.
The number that stands out is No. 51, his position this week in the Official World Golf Ranking.
For the first time in nearly 26 years 1,353 weeks to be exact Mickelson is no longer among the top 50 in the world.
It was a good run, Mickelson said Sunday. Unfortunately, the last eight months I played terribly and have fallen out. But Ill get back in there.
The question is whether anyone can ever match it.
Jordan Spieth was not quite 4 months old when Mickelson first cracked the top 50 on Nov. 23, 1993, with a runner-up finish in the Casio World Open. Deane Beman was still the commissioner of the PGA Tour.
Rory McIlroy compared Mickelsons streak favorably with Tiger Woods going 142 starts on the PGA Tour over seven years without missing a cut.
Being top 50 in the world since 1993, that means no injuries, no breaks, that is nothing, McIlroy said. Play your game, keep going.
Thats all Mickelson has done.
He never reached No. 1 in the world, mainly because of Woods, partly because Mickelson was not on top of his game when Woods fell off and created an opportunity. Then again, Mickelson never won a PGA Tour money title or was voted PGA Tour player of the year.
His hallmark is consistently great play, and it is unrivaled.
Its pretty amazing given he was there into his 40s like that, with how much time is taken from golf with your family, Spieth said. Youre not as sharp because youre not doing it as often. I give him more credit in the last seven to 10 years.
Mickelson nearly fell out at the start of 2018, and then he ran off four straight top 10s, culminating with his third World Golf Championships title in Mexico City. He reached No. 17 with his victory at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am in February his seventh win in his 40s, including a major and was hopeful of a big year.
He hasnt finished better than a tie for 18th since then.
