Phil Mickelson has revealed he has made a remarkable 47 hole-in-ones during his lifetime, double the amount his great rival Tiger Woods has notched up.

During their prime Mickelson and Woods played out some of golf’s great battles, but when it comes to making aces it appears that ‘Lefty’ is well clear. The pair have gone their separate ways in recent years following Mickelson’s decision to join LIV Golf.

And ahead of this week’s breakaway league event in Las Vegas, HyFlyers captain Phil Mickelson took part in a question and answer session which was included in the tournament media guide.

Within the Q&A, the six-time major champion was quizzed on how many times he had holed out from the tee box, claiming the tally was a barely-believable 47. To put this into context, arguably golf’s greatest ever player in Woods has made 20 during his lifetime.

Of course all 47 have not come in competition, with the amount also including casual golf and practice. Nonetheless, Mickelson’s record is an impressive one, especially put in comparison to other greats. Whilst the HyFlyers skipper is yet to make an ace on the LIV setup, he made five during his time with the PGA Tour.

And two of them have come at some of golf’s most decorated events. As a fresh-faced 25-year-old, Mickelson holed out at the 1995 Players Championship, before repeating the feat on the major stage at the 2001 U.S. Open six years later at Southern Hills.

Phil Mickelson has made 47 aces in total
Phil Mickelson has made 47 aces in total ( Image: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

His other three came at the 1994 Kemper Open, the 1995 Houston Open, and most recently the 84 LUMBER Classic in 2005. The 53-year-old will no doubt be hoping for some similar magic in Vegas this week, after a season opener to forget in Mexico last weekend.

Mickelson kicked his campaign off with a second-bottom finish at LIV Mayakoba, finishing the week at 11-over-par, only bettering 4Aces star Harold Varner III. It was also a tough week for his HyFlyers team, who finished the week in 10th, following a collective score of two-over-par for the week.

Despite his rich history, the 45-time PGA Tour winner is yet to get over the line on the Saudi-backed series. His best finish came in LIV’s maiden season back in 2022, when Mickelson finished eighth in Chicago, seven shots behind champion Cameron Smith.