Phillip Locklear

Phillip Locklear is a 31-year-old professional pickleball player from Overland Park, Kansas, who made his way to the pro circuit through sheer volume of success at the 5.0 level. A former assistant tennis coach at Whitman College, Locklear picked up pickleball in 2017 and spent years grinding through amateur tournaments before going pro in 2023, having earned an eye-popping 20 medals in 5.0-level competition the year prior. He now has 35 professional tournaments under his belt across PPA events like the Virginia Beach Open, Mesa Arizona Cup, Kansas City Open, and Arizona Grand Slam.

Locklear plays right-handed and competes in both men's and mixed doubles on tour. His career records show the kind of development curve you'd expect from a player who earned his stripes the hard way, steadily improving through each tournament cycle. He's affiliated with Chicken N Pickle, the popular restaurant-entertainment-pickleball concept, as part of their team roster. With a tennis coaching background providing tactical foundations and years of competitive reps, Locklear continues to chase bigger results on the pro circuit.