Phil Mickelson will be teeing it up in his 30th career British Open start this week, but this one will look much skinnier than the first 29. Instead of his typical look with baggy, dark-colored pants, the 54-year-old will be donning tight joggers for every round he plays at Royal Troon Golf Club.
The unique fashion choice wasn't exactly Mickelson's decision, though. He's only wearing them because he lost a bet to Grant Horvat, a famous golf YouTuber with more than 700,000 subscribers.
As an unfashionable 54 year old, I never thought I could pull off wearing joggers. Guess I was wrong ♂️
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) July 17, 2024
Thank you @GrantHorvatGolf we both won #forwellness #hyflyers #primo pic.twitter.com/qTiQHP0qC4
Horvat and Mickelson battled in an 18-hole stroke-play match spread across each of their channels. The front 9 of the match was posted on @GrantHorvatGolfs, and the back 9 went live on Mickelson's @HyFlyersGC page. In typical Mickelson fashion, he couldn't begin without putting some stakes on the line.
Before teeing off, Horvat suggested the six-time major champion wear Primo joggers at the British Open if he couldn't defeat a YouTuber. Lefty let out a sly chuckle at the idea. "Wow," he muttered. "I'm not sure I could pull that off. Were joggers meant for 54-year-olds?"
Mickelson eventually agreed to Horvat's terms. He countered by saying Horvat needed to buy one of his subscribers a year-long subscription to For Wellness, Mickelson's health and wellness company, if he lost. The bet was in place.
Mickelson jumped out to a hot start in the match, but Horvat shot 3-under on the back 9 and birdied the 18th hole to defeat the living legend in the end. YouTubers take this round.
If Mickelson plays well at Royal Troon this week, he may need to bring the jogger look to Augusta National next year.
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