"I’ve failed many times in my life and career and because of this I’ve learned a lot. Instead of feeling defeated countless times, I’ve used it as fuel to drive me to work harder. So today, join me in accepting our failures. Let’s use them to motivate us to work even harder."

Yesterday this serial loser who had fuelled himself to five majors victories added a sixth, in the PGA Championship at Kiawah Island, less than a month from his 51^st birthday - making him golf’s oldest major champion of all time.

Having entered the final round with a one-stroke lead, only to exchange positions with fellow American Brooks Koepka after a two-shot swing on the first hole, Mickelson was soon back in a lead he never lost after Koepka made a double-bogey seven on the next hole, a par five, and he carded a birdie.

As the 72nd hole loomed ever nearer, Mickelson’s older sister Tina relayed a nervous text message she had received from their mother, Mary.

"Tina, txt Philip and tell him just to par in. Don’t hit bombs or activate calves. Just par. They will have to catch him. He won’t listen to his mother do you txt him. Hurry."

Tina responded: "I’ll text Tim [brother and caddie]. He’s the only one Phil’s listening to today!”

Mickelson eventually carded a one-over 73, six strokes under par for the tournament in South Carolina - and two ahead of both Koepka and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen.

"This is just an incredible feeling," Mickelson said after winning his first major since 2013.

"I just believed that it was possible yet everything was saying it wasn't and I hope that others find that inspiration.

"It may take a little extra work and harder effort to maintain the physicality, or maintain the skills, but gosh is it worth it in the end."

Before Mickelson’s latest flourish, the oldest major winner was fellow American Julius Boros, who was 48 when he won the PGA Championship in 1968.

The second- and third-oldest major champions, Tom Morris Sr and Jack Nicklaus, were both 46 years old, with "Old Tom Morris" being marginally the older when he secured the 1867 Open Championship.

Nicklaus' final major victory occurred in the 1986 Masters.

Fay Crocker, at 45, is the oldest women to win a golf major.

Yet all on this list might have been eclipsed by the extraordinary effort of Tom Watson, then aged 59, when he led for most of the final round of the 2009 British Open at Turnberry before losing in a playoff.

Watson, who had earned the eighth major victory of his career back in 1983 when claiming a fifth Open title, was already racking up the firsts in his return to his favourite event.

A huge putt on the 18^th green sent him into the third round as joint leader, and by the end of it he had an outright one-shot lead, making him the oldest player to lead a major going into the final round.

Watson reached the 72^nd hole only needing a par to secure the title, but his second shot went over the green, and he putted past the hole, then missed a second 8-foot-plus putt by about six inches, scoring a bogey which allowed Stewart Cink to finish level at two under.

Watson lost the following playoff by six strokes.

In an interview in 2012, he admitted that he was "distraught" at coming so close, saying that the experience "tore my guts out".

Watson added: "I felt extreme disappointment that night but the one good thing that came of that was the response of people around the world."

The world loves a winner; but it adores an old winner.

The acclamation that recompensed Watson for his glorious near-miss, and which is currently washing over Mickelson, has been the due of sportsmen and women across a multitude of disciplines.

In tennis, Ken Rosewall became the oldest Grand Slam winner in the modern Open era when he beat fellow Australian Mal Anderson to secure his fourth Australian Open title at Melbourne in 1972, aged 37 years, 62 days.

Switzerland’s Roger Federer was 36 when he won his 20^th and - so far - last Grand Slam in taking the 2018 Australian Open title

In the women’s game, Serena Williams of the United States became the oldest female winner of a Grand Slam event as she secured her seventh Australian Open at the age of 35 years and 125 days in 2017, beating her own record of 34 years and 287 days when she captured the 2016 Wimbledon title.

In boxing, Bernard Hopkins became the oldest world champion in March 2013 when, aged 48, he defeated fellow American Tavoris Cloud for the International Boxing Federation light-heavyweight title.

George Foreman returned to the sport aged 45 to reclaim his former position as world heavyweight champion by knocking out Michael Moorer in the 10th round of their all-American fight for the World Boxing Association version of the title in 1994.

Back in 1903, Bob Fitzsimmons made history by becoming the first man to win world titles at three weights as he outpointed George Gardner at the age of 40.

In snooker, Ray Reardon holds the distinction of being the oldest world champion after earning the title aged 45 in 1978. 

Since then his record has been threatened but not surpassed. Mark Williams earned his third title at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield in 2018 at the age of 43, and Ronnie O’Sullivan claimed the title last year aged 44.

Argentina’s Juan Manuel Fangio remains the record-holder for the oldest Formula 1 Championship winner after taking that title in 1957 aged 46.

In horse racing, Dick Saunders is the oldest winner of the Grand National having partnered Grittar to victory in 1982.

At the age of 32, Britain’s Linford Christie became the oldest Olympic 100 metres Olympic champion at the Barcelona Games of 1992.

Darts player Phil Taylor won 16 world titles, his last in 2013 when he beat Michael van Gerwen in the Professional Darts Corporation final aged 52.

In football, Japan’s Kazuyoshi Miura is currently the oldest top-flight player in the world at the age of 54. "King Kazu", as he is popularly known, was Asian Player of the Year in 1993 and is operating outfield in the J1 League.

Dropping down the levels, Ezzeldin Bahader from Egypt currently holds the Guinness World Record for oldest professional football player at the age of 74 and 125 days.

Bahader played in a third division match on October 6 2020 and insists he hopes to surpass his previous record when games resume after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Other longtime footballers of note are England’s Teddy Sheringham, who played his last top-class match for Colchester United in 2008 aged 42, and goalkeeper John Burridge, who became the oldest to play in the Premier League when he turned out for Manchester City in 1994 aged 43.

Brazil’s Rivaldo was the same age when he played in the Brazilian League in 2015, while 42-year-old Kevin Ellison became the scorer in English Football League playoff history this weekend as he helped inspire a Newport County revival against Forest Green Rovers.

Still celebrated as a long-lasting sporting phenomenon, England’s Stanley - already Sir Stanley - Matthews was 50 when he played his last top-class match on February 6 1965 for Stoke City in the First Division.

In later years, Sir Stanley felt he had called time on his career too soon, as he still had the required fitness to play. His last match of any kind was in Rio de Janeiro in 1985 when he played for an England Veterans XI against a Brazilian Veterans XI that included 1970 World Cup winners such as Tostão and Jairzinho.

He wrote in his 2000 Autobiography, The Way It Was: "I had first played for England Schoolboys at the age of 13 and bowed out completely playing against former Brazilian World Cup winners at the age of 70 - not bad, I thought."