Phil MickelsonRainier Ehrhardt
Phil Mickelson has been elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame & Museum class of 2012.
The four-time majors winner garnered 72 percent of the vote from the PGA Tour ballot, the highest total since Greg Norman earned 80 percent back in 2001. Fred Couples finished second in the balloting with just 38 percent of the vote.
"It seems Phil has been destined for this honor for some time," said PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, who made the announcement at the Barclays Singapore Open where Mickelson is playing this week.
"From his days as one of world's premier amateur players to his seamless transition to professional star, Phil has always performed at the highest levels of the sport and this recognition is well deserved."
Mickelson's career is highlighted by his four major championship titles which includes three Masters championships and the 2005 PGA Championship. He has 35 PGA Tour wins and three international victories. He has competed on eight Ryder Cup teams and will play on his ninth U.S. Presidents Cup Team next week in Melbourne, Australia. Mickelson is the only player, for either team, to participate in every Presidents Cup since the event's inception in 1994. He has been ranked No. 2 in the world several times, though he has slipped to No. 11 after winning only one tournament so far this year.
"It really is a tremendous honor to be mentioned alongside the greats of a game that's centuries old," said Mickelson, who became eligible after turning 40 last year. "Being called a hall of fame golfer, it does make me sound a little bit old but I don't feel old. I feel like I've got a lot of great golf ahead of me."
Mickelson said his biggest goals for the rest of his career are to win at least 11 more tournaments, which would give him 50 victories, and win a U.S. Open and British Open.
The Hall of Fame will announce the remaining class of 2012 at a later date when the inductees from the International Ballot and Veterans and Lifetime Achievement categories are revealed. The induction ceremony will take place on the Monday of the Players Championship week.
Files from the Associated Press were used in this report