"I also lost muscle”: Phil Mickelson talks about losing 25 pounds after his first round at Masters 2023

Three-time Masters Champion Phil Mickelson has started his campaign at the Masters 2023. He scored 1 under 71 in the first round on Thursday (April 6) to stand at tied 26th position on the leaderboard.

Mickelson looked skinnier this time as he arrived at Augusta National Golf Club. Speaking after the first round, he spoke about the weight loss journey he has been through and said:

"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."

Phil Mickelson shared that he needed a change for good and he is now 25 pounds lighter. He was optimistic about playing at a better fitness level. He added:

"I needed something different, and I'm having a lot of fun having three teammates and having a different energy and a fun environment. I want to play and compete at that level. And I'm going to figure it out."

Phil Mickelson shared that he started a calorie-deficiency diet to control his weight. However, due to extensive fasting, he has not only lost weight but also muscles.

He revealed that playing at the elite level brings a lot of things like the best bottles of wine and food and it is not easy to say no to it, but he has controlled it in recent times.

"Whenever you're that elite, it's always the best bottle of wine, or the nicest dinners, because if you're going to have dinner with Phil, you're not going to go just down the road. There's a lot of opportunity to have the best of the best and it's hard to say no."

Phil Mickelson was slow on the golf course at the Masters 2023. This was evident because of the diet he has been following. But as said, change is a slow and steady process. He will definitely reach the level he wants to achieve sooner rather than later.

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Phil Mickelson and other LIV Golfers standing after the first round at the Masters 2023

Before the start of the Augusta Masters, 18 LIV golfers were invited to compete at the Augusta National Golf Club for the prestigious green jacket. But Kevin Na had to withdraw from the competition due to an illness that left the LIV regimen with 17 golfers.

After the first round on April 6, Thursday, LIV golfers did not have the best finishes. Apart from Brooks Koepka and Cameron Smith, all the other players stand at a ranking below 20:

1. T-1 Brooks Koepka, Score: -7 65
2. T-17Cameron Smith, Score: -2 70
3. T-26. Patrick Reed, Score: -1 71
4. T-26. Phil Mickelson, Score: -1 71
5. T-26. Joaquin Niemann, Score: -1 71
6. T-26. Dustin Johnson, Score: -1 71
7. T-37. Talor Gooch, Score: E 72
8. T-37. Abraham Ancer, Score: E 72
9. T-37. Harold Varner III, Score: E 72
10. T-45. Jason Kokrak, Score: +1 73
11. T-54. Sergio Garcia, Score: +2 74
12. T-54. Thomas Pieters, Score: +2 74
13. T-54. Charl Schwartzel, Score: +2 74
14. T-54. Bryson DeChambeau,Score: +2 74
15. T-54. Mito Pereira, Score: +2 74
16. T-73. Louis Oosthuizen, Score: +4 76
17. T-78. Bubba Watson, Score: +5 77

The game is still on and is in the second round. It would be interesting to see if the LIV golfers change their fate with a better round of golf.