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I'll admit it. I was dubious about Jay Haas' selection of Phil Mickelson as a captain's pick for the 2015 Presidents Cup. As my buddy Adam Sarson pointed out, Tiger Woods (Tiger Woods!) has won a golf tournament more recently than Mickelson.

It's not like Lefty was coming up barely short in 2015. He had a good Masters and ... that's about it. He kept saying he was close leading up to the Presidents Cup, but he pretty much always says that.

Although, I forgot Phil Mickelson is a staple at team events like this one. He owns rooms and turns back the clock like nobody else.

“He is without question the leader of our team in the team room and on the golf course,” captain Jay Haas said in the days leading up to the event. “I think the guys trust him 100 percent. The guys on the team were adamant that Phil is the guy, and I think between the captains and team members, Phil was an overwhelming choice to be a pick.

“He is somebody who we all respect and like I said, look up to, and I look for him to be a leader like he has been in the past. I can’t wait for Phil to get over there. He’s excited, I believe, to join our team.”

It's clear Haas was right.

Improbably, Mickelson went undefeated (3-0-1) at the Presidents Cup and single-handedly elevated the tournament from a second-rate team event to must see middle-of-the-night television.

He got an inane penalty called on himself on the second day, started holing out every bunker shot he looked at and did that thing Phil Mickelson does when his press conferences are more enthralling than his golf (even though his play is some of the most enthralling golf in the history of the sport).

"Well, Jay kind of gave me the freedom to just be me, and sometimes I say and do some dumb stuff, and sometimes I can help some guys lighten the tension because we all feel pressure," Mickelson said after winning his ninth Presidents Cup trophy.

"Even though we have done very well in this event for a number of years, we still feel pressure. We're representing our country, and we're representing our teammates and we feel responsible when we don't play our best, we feel accountable to others, not just ourselves."

Mickelson teamed with one of the more underrated competitors in all of sports (Zach Johnson) for three matches early in the week. The only one they didn't win came when Mickelson got a penalty called on himself for playing a different type of ball seven holes into the match. They halved with Jason Day and Adam Scott, which led to the comment about how the best International team couldn't beat them.

It's difficult to track specific scores in team events like this, but Mickelson made eight birdies and an eagle in the 48 non-alternate-shot holes he played. It was good enough to be, along with Johnson, the only undefeated player on the week for the US side.

"I like having my back against the wall, and if there's a gentleman I would like to be fighting with with my back against the wall, it's this guy right here," Johnson said. "The shots that he hit, the putts that he made, the putts that he hit that didn't go in is exactly what I would expect."

Johnson isn't wrong. Mickelson was incredible on the course and galvanizing off of it. He allegedly attended a team dinner in American flag pajamas, took a selfie with George W. Bush and let the team rub his belly for good luck. A regular American golfing Santa Claus.

He gifted the US team a win with his play and helped push this event forward when some speculated its shelf life might not be as long as once imagined. The end of his week had a real "my work here is done" feel to it.

"That meant more to me than anything, having the players be involved and having me on this team. I've had so much fun being around them. This is really a great group of guys. The young guys on both teams that are taking over the reins, they are quality, quality, classy guys and the game of golf is in great shape."

Long live Lefty.

Phil Mickelson forever. (USATSI)
Phil Mickelson forever. (USATSI)