Phil Mickelson Reveals He Lost 25 Lbs Ahead of Masters Tournament: I’ve Been ‘Getting My Speed and Strength Back’

usmagazine.com:

A new spring in his step! Phil “Lefty” Mickelson showed up at the Masters 25 pounds lighter following his recent weight loss journey.“Thank you.

I stopped eating food. That was a big help,” Mickelson, 52, quipped to a reporter on Tuesday, April 4, interview after being complimented on his slimmer physique, per Golf Digest.The pro golfer added: “I also lost muscle, so I had to start lifting, and I’ve been lifting and slowly have been getting my speed and strength back to where I need it to be.”Mickelson — who has won three Masters titles over the years — returned to the Augusta, Georgia, tournament this weekend after voluntarily sitting out of last year’s championship.“The past 10 years I have felt the pressure and stress slowly affecting me at a deeper level,” the PGA Tour champ said in a social media statement in February 2022. “I know I have not been my best and desperately need some time away to prioritize the ones I love most and work on being the man I want to be.”As the California native aimed to prioritize his mental well-being, he also remained focused on his physical fitness.“I work harder physically to be able to practice as long as I wanted to and I’ve had to work a lot harder to be able to maintain focus throughout a round,” Mickelson previously told Golf magazine in September 2020 of being an older pro athlete. “If I work a little harder, spend a little more time in the gym, eat well, practice hard, there’s no reason why I can’t put it all out there for 18 holes.”The World Golf Hall of Fame member also found success with intermittent fasting, telling the magazine that he does three-day fasts every few months. “It gives my body a chance to reset,” Mickelson explained. “I’ve got to eat a lot less and I’ve got