Column: Mickelson Gives Us Reason to Celebrate The celebration started when Phil Mickelson rolled in his final birdie putt, with hands raised high in the air and a tearful caddie just waiting to be hugged. It quickly turned into a victory lap, even as the players he'd already beaten struggled to finish what was left of their disappointing day. There were, of course, hugs for his picture perfect wife and his equally charming children - and lots of them. Congratulations to accept from most anyone near the 18th green, and plenty of smiles for the thousands gathered in the grandstands. Then, with even more time to kill before he was officially declared champion of the one tournament he feared he would never win, Mickelson did what only Mickelson would do - he began signing autographs. Hold onto them because they might be worth something someday. The guy with the goofy grin who once seemed destined never to win a major now seems intent on playing his way into golfing lore. No, he's not Tiger Woods. Never will be, though that's not really such a bad thing. But he did play one of the greatest rounds you'll ever see Sunday under treacherous conditions in the final round of the British Open. And it may be time to stop thinking about him as a player who sometimes can't think straight on the course and start the discussion about where he ranks among the greats of the game. With five major championships now, he's in the mix. Toss in one of those six U.S. Opens he came so agonizingly close to winning and he might even be there now. Only five players have the career Grand Slam, and they have last names like Nicklaus, Woods and Hogan. If one day Mickelson joins them there, his legacy will be set. "I think that if I'm able to win the U.S. Open and complete the career Grand Slam, I think that that's the sign of the complete great player," Mickelson said. I'm a leg away. And it's been a tough leg for me. If it's any consolation, this one was always tough, too. Mickelson took a long time to acclimate to golf across the pond, a long time to figure out that the grass that grows over here is different from the stuff that grows on the finely manicured country clubs back home. For years he tried to hit shots he had no business trying to hit, and for years he struggled to even get in contention in the oldest major of them all. This wasn't shaping up as the year he was going to figure it all out, either. Not after yet another heartbreaking loss at the U.S. Open at Merion, where he had a one-shot lead going into the final round only to kick it away with two bad wedges on the back nine. "It could have easily gone south, where I was so deflated I had a hard time coming back," Mickelson acknowledged. But I looked at it and thought I was playing really good golf. I had been playing some of the best in my career. And I didn't want it to stop me from potential victories this year and some potential great play. And in a matter of a month I'm able to change entirely the way I feel. He may have also changed entirely the way some in golf feel about him. While fans love Mickelson for his smile, his easy way with autographs and his daredevil style, there's always been a feeling he's given away as many tournaments as he's won. His career-defining moments all pretty much revolved around the Masters and before Sunday he didn't have an Open to his name.