The toddler who started hitting golf balls at 18 months old was destined for much bigger deeds as Mickelson turned out to be.

Nicknamed ‘Lefty’, for his left-handed swing, the American is one of 16 golfers in the history of the sport to win at least three of the four professional majors.

The only major that has eluded him is the US Open, where he has finished runner-up a record six times.

Mickelson, who turns 45 today, is a modern great of the sport having won 42 events on the PGA Tour. He has spent over 700 weeks in the top-10 of the World Golf Ranking, reaching a careerhigh of second several times and has a lifetime exemption on the PGA Tour.

He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in May 2012. Besides being the highest earning golfer ($50.8m), Mickelson is an avid pilot and also runs a charitable firm Birdies for Brave, which he and his wife Amy founded.

1942: Giacomo Agostini, former Italian motorbike legend who won 15 world titles and 122 grands prix (73).

1966: Jan Zelezny, Czech javelin world record holder and former Olympic gold medallist (49).

1970: Coby Jones, former US and LA Galaxy midfielder who scored 15 goals in 164 appearances for his country (45).

1986: Urby Emanuelson, Atalanta and Holland utility man, who played 173 games for Ajax between 2004-11 (28).