5 Ways Scottie Scheffler Made Phil Mickelson's Viral 'Hot Take' The Most Embarrassing Prediction Of 2025

The golf world has been buzzing with a classic generational clash, and as of today, December 17, 2025, the scoreboard is firmly in favor of the current World No. 1. The entire narrative of the 2025 golf season has been unexpectedly framed by a single, now-infamous "hot take" from LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson, who boldly predicted that the dominant Scottie Scheffler would not win a single PGA Tour event before the September Ryder Cup.

This prediction, made earlier in the year, quickly became the most embarrassing and spectacularly wrong call in recent golf memory. Scheffler’s monumental 2025 campaign, which included multiple major championships, did more than just prove the six-time major winner wrong; it cemented a generational shift and forced a "classy" public retraction from Lefty himself, highlighting the stark contrast between the two eras of golf.

Phil Mickelson and Scottie Scheffler: A Tale of Two Generations (Biography Snapshot)

The interaction between Phil Mickelson and Scottie Scheffler is a perfect microcosm of the current state of professional golf, pitting the established legacy of a LIV Golf star against the unprecedented dominance of the PGA Tour's current World No. 1.

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Phil Mickelson: The Lefty Legend

• Born: June 16, 1970 (Age 55)
• Affiliation: LIV Golf (Captain of HyFlyers GC)
• Major Championships: 6 (3 Masters, 2 PGA Championships, 1 Open Championship)
• PGA Tour Wins: 45
• Career Highlight: Oldest Major Champion in history (2021 PGA Championship at age 50).
• Current Status: Focuses on LIV Golf events and select major championships.

Scottie Scheffler: The Reigning World No. 1

• Born: June 21, 1996 (Age 29)
• Affiliation: PGA Tour
• Major Championships: 4 (2 Masters, 2025 PGA Championship, 2025 Open Championship)
• PGA Tour Wins (Career): 19 (as of late 2025)
• 2025 Season Wins: 6 (The highest total on the PGA Tour for the year)
• Current Status: Long-standing World No. 1 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR).

The Infamous 'Hot Take': Why Mickelson Predicted a Scheffler Slump

The entire drama began with a simple, yet incendiary, social media post from Phil Mickelson. The LIV Golf star, known for his outspoken nature, took to Twitter (X) to share a "hot take" that immediately drew widespread attention and criticism.

Mickelson’s prediction was stark: "Here's a hot take Does Scottie win in 2025 before the Ryder Cup? I don't think so." The sentiment behind the prediction was rooted in the idea that Scheffler, despite his consistent play, would struggle to convert his dominant ball-striking into victories due to perceived putting inconsistencies.

This was a bold claim, especially considering Scheffler had already established himself as the undisputed World No. 1, known for his relentless consistency and ability to contend in nearly every event he enters. The prediction was a direct challenge to the reigning best player in the world, setting the stage for a spectacular showdown that played out over the subsequent months of the 2025 season.

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5 Ways Scottie Scheffler Systematically Invalidated Mickelson's Prediction

Scottie Scheffler responded to Mickelson’s challenge not with words, but with an historic run of form that left the golf community in awe. His performance in 2025 didn't just earn him one win; it resulted in a dominant season that unequivocally proved Mickelson’s take "badly wrong."

1. Winning the PGA Championship (Major #3)

Scheffler's first major statement came at the PGA Championship. A victory at a major, one of the four most prestigious tournaments in golf, was the ultimate rebuttal to the claim that he wouldn't win *anything* before September. This dominant performance solidified his status as a multi-major champion.

2. The Open Championship Victory (Major #4)

Not content with one major, Scheffler went on to capture The Open Championship, securing his fourth career major and second of the 2025 season. Winning two of the four major championships in a single year is a feat of true golf dominance, an achievement that puts him in elite company, and further emphasized the gulf between his current form and Mickelson's prediction.

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3. Total of Six PGA Tour Wins in a Single Season

By the conclusion of the 2025 season, Scottie Scheffler had amassed an incredible six total wins on the PGA Tour. This massive haul of victories—more than any other player that year—turned Mickelson's prediction of "zero wins" into a statistical anomaly of poor forecasting. Other wins included the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, further proving the prediction wrong early on.

4. Unprecedented Consistency and Top 10 Finishes

Beyond the wins, Scheffler’s consistency was staggering. He recorded 17 Top 10 finishes in 2025. This level of performance is what keeps him firmly entrenched as the World No. 1, creating a massive gap in the OWGR and demonstrating a sustained excellence that Mickelson’s "slump" prediction failed to account for.

5. The Tiger Woods Comparison

Perhaps the most telling sign of Scheffler's generational dominance came from a source close to Mickelson: his former longtime caddie, Jim "Bones" Mackay. Mackay, who carried Mickelson's bag for years, was so impressed by Scheffler’s play that he made a direct comparison to the sustained excellence of Tiger Woods, the highest compliment in modern golf. This comparison from a veteran figure further underscores that Scheffler's 2025 season was one for the history books, not one of a winless slump.

Mickelson's Classy Retraction and the Generational Divide

Following Scheffler's relentless run of victories, Phil Mickelson had no choice but to publicly address his spectacularly incorrect forecast. True to his reputation for being a complex but ultimately respectful figure, Mickelson offered a "classy reaction" and took accountability for his mistake.

After one of Scheffler’s dominant wins, Mickelson tweeted a congratulatory message, specifically praising Scheffler’s "amazing" iron shots and "what a putting performance." This acknowledgment of Scheffler’s improved putting—the very area Mickelson had implicitly questioned—was a subtle but clear admission of error.

The entire incident serves as a powerful symbol of the generational divide in professional golf. Mickelson, a titan of the sport's previous era and a key figure in the LIV Golf movement, attempted to critique the current PGA Tour standard-bearer. Scheffler, the embodiment of modern golf analytics and relentless performance, responded by setting a new benchmark for dominance.

The Scheffler-Mickelson dynamic, born from a controversial "hot take" and resolved by historic performance, is a fascinating chapter in the ongoing narrative of the sport, proving that even the legends of the game can get a prediction spectacularly wrong when faced with a talent as generational as Scottie Scheffler.