Phil Mickelson has spent a lifetime chasing the one major that keeps slipping through his fingers: the US Open. Despite an illustrious career that includes six major titles, the national championship has remained the most elusive prize—and the only thing standing between him and the career Grand Slam.

Now, golf legend Gary Player has weighed in on whether Mickelson can finally break through. Player, one of only six men to complete the Grand Slam, offered a candid assessment on the Vanity Index Podcast. "Phil Mickelson, no, no, he can't do that now," Player said. "When I say you can't, I'll give odds that he can't. Wonderful golfer, but at his age now, it would take a miracle. But miracles happen."

It's hard to argue with Player's logic. Mickelson has finished runner-up at the US Open an incredible six times—more than anyone else in history without a win. This year, he won't even be in the field at Shinnecock Hills, the site of one of those heartbreaking second-place finishes. For only the second time since 1993, the 55-year-old hasn't entered qualifying or secured an exemption.

Still, if anyone can defy the odds, it's Lefty. He remains the oldest man to ever win a major championship, having stunned the golf world by capturing the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah Island at age 50. That day, he stared down Brooks Koepka in the final group and walked away with the Wanamaker Trophy.

But the path to a US Open title looks steeper than ever. Without an automatic exemption, Mickelson will need strong performances on LIV Golf to earn his way back into America's national championship. As Player noted, it would take a miracle—but in golf, miracles have a way of happening when you least expect them.