Nascar Phil Mickelson???

[Peoples Golf]

He said what?

Did anyone hear him on golf digest explaining how callaway helped him to work on his putting at the callaway performace institute and they helped him learn all about his stroke. and how he developed a new putter just for him. with a xg insert and they actually milled a line and that has never been done. WOW WHAT A JOKE... I guess he did not want to make sergio feel bad... In case you guys dont know, golf is all about advertising.

[Tee1Up]

What's the joke? They have never milled a line on the putter that he uses. This was the first one done.

[Peoples Golf]

the whole speech was a joke.

[Tmiller72]

Every winner now mentions their equipment. Even Leta Lindley mentioned her new FT5 driver today. They are paid pretty good to play certain equipment, I don't see anything wrong with mentioning it.

[Redman]

I am a Nascar fan and the one thing I can say about golfers mentioning their sponsors is they hopefully don't have near as many and won't get into the whole speech of the Budweiser, Best Buy, Valvoline, McDonalds, Viagra, Masingail Dodge performed great today and I would like to thank the guys back at the fabrication shop and the chasis guys, they all did a great job and can't forget my pit crew, etc, etc, etc.

 

I got no problem with mentioning just Callway or Taylor Made or whoever it may be. I think Sergio set the precedent at the Players!

[mgranato]

Unless what he said was an outright lie, I don't get what the problem is. Golf is a business, and businesses advertise - I don't see the crime.

[Hairpie]

Seems like just another contrived reason to bash Lefty....Ho Hum...........

[WhiteRabbit]

What's your problem?

[Johnny]

Seems like just another contrived reason to bash Lefty....Ho Hum...........

 

got that right.

[alan802]

Nothing sells a product like a verbal endorsement from the second best golfer in the world. Better get used to it.

[proguy]

Today's second shot on 18 is what gets him bashed when it does not go well. This guy has guts and thats why he is a winner. So many people are afraid to win. Nothing wrong with thank the guys at callaway for helping him with his game. In fact it is the gentlemen thing to do. I hope you give a shout to people that help you. I know when I help someone the best thing is to be acknolwedged for doing so.

[pbcgolfer]

Hmmm people bashed Sergio like crazy , including the golf channel when he did it, but when Phil does it, its just "part of his job". These guys are smart, its all about them green.

[Baycal92510]

I liked the part when he said " we all know the big guy is coming back in a few weeks"

[FlyFish]

The advertising is what pays the bills. Ticket sales can't carry the PGA Tour.

 

Tiger makes over 6 times more per year with his sponsorships than he does in actual tournament winnings. Think about that for a while...

[tourblade]

Whats the big deal with thanking a sponser?

If a sponser is or has treated you well and has truly helped you with your game why not gives thanks?

 

It appears to be a bunch of haters in here..IMO

[Samsquanch]

If I had someone giving me free equipment, actually, paying me to use free equipment, I would give them a thanks to keep them happy. :)

[JDorfler]

I don't know what to think about the whole "let's thank my sponsor speeches" these days. I see it happening in almost every individual game and sport. It's getting really bad on the UFC even. Personally I don't want to hear it, but I do know it helps pay the bills. I'm pretty sure I'd do the same thing if there was a few bucks on the line.

[Bee-Man]

We all know its a business...and thanking your sponsor is not a bad thing. They should thank everyone.....

 

Phil went to Callaway to learn about his putting and Sergio got the better oil in the wind with the latest and greatest Taylor Made equipment that will likely be superseded in three months.....and that's why they won. What a bunch of BS.

 

I don't hate Phil or Sergio - but doing a product endorsement during an interview is in my opinion inappropriate and lacking in class.

[Hifade]

Go back and watch the two interviews side by side (Sergio's, then Lefty's), there is NO comparison in their delivery.......Sergio's was "forced" and he went on and on about specifics (Tour Burner and LDP Reds which he forgot the name of), while Phil's was cleverly inserted into his comments. Phil talked about the Institute, the insert and the milling technology for the line installed on the putter they made. Both were smart business moves but different in delivery and tact.

 

Nice win for both guys. Loads of guts for Lefty going for the shot and pulling it off on 18. Had he hit the trees and made bogey or worse, we would have heard the Wingfoot crap all over again.

[dlygrisse]

It is a far cry from the days when Jack used a hacksaw to cut the lines on the top of his Goerge Low Wizard, but I don't see the issue with this especially in a Golf Digest article. If he would have stood there on national TV, like Sergio, and explained all that then I could see you point. Golf Digest is there to sell magazines, and advertising no doubt, but some might find it interesting what the pros go through with the equipment manufacturers in detail.

 

Let me put it this way, if the OP had the opportunity to go to the Callaway test facility and have all of that done and a custom putter made for himself, he would be posting pics and raving on this website about how cool the experience was, Phil is just doing the same thing. After all Phil is nothing more than a well compensated club ho, I am so jealous.

[TKing]

I intend to give props to my sponsors too when they start paying me and I start winning. :)

[krob]

for 45 million a year ill thank the guy at calloway who mops the bathroom, the tellers at the barclays branch on thomas street in dublin, or anyone else any of my sponsors want mentioned. phil sergio tiger and all the rest are so well payed its there duty whenever they get the chance to thank all there sponsors.

 

i would like to thank sun mountian for the bag i use and scotty cameron whos putter made this post come true. thanks golfwrx for covering this event bye guys!

[glcoach]

Sergio started this...

 

Unfortunately this will be Standard Operating Procedure from here on out. The Tour actually used to frown on this, which is why it was not done before, Finchem either bowed to the equipment sponsors or the players are just starting to ignore him because the equipment people pay a lot of money. I don't blame the equipment companies, it is a very competitive market and they have to make the most of their dollars. It will be even worse if gas prices get higher and people can't afford to play as much golf.

 

I don't care one way or another. It just sounds funny to me. I am not bashing anyone, I just think it sounds rather contrived.

[wpfisher]

Look, you can go and purchase some of Sergio's equipment right now. Most is on the shelf. The putter Phil Mickelson used will not be available. The xg9 is, but his blade model they made 3 years ago has never seen the light of day. I bet a million dollars it will be the same for the blade with a line and an insert. To me it sounded as if that was the story of his new putter, not go buy callaway.

[Freddy300]

Seems like just another contrived reason to bash Lefty....Ho Hum...........

 

Unreal. The guy asked him a specific question about his putting and Phil told him a truthful and detailed answer. What was Phil supposed to say? I would guess Phil is pretty grateful that Callaway has the resources to build him a putter like that. I am not very good at golf but golfers are very superstitous about their putters and live and die on their putting. I think putters are the key even more so then drivers. Phil's got the game down but his putting can be a little shaky at times. My guess is he is relieved and thrilled with the new putter. Phil's confidence if probably over the moon now.

[Peoples Golf]

i am just bringing up the point that this is no different then what Sergio did. Golf is a huge sponsorship business. Thats how they get all of us to spend 1000's of dollars a year on this sport. Its just funny though, everyone jumped on Sergio but its part of phils job... HAHAHA. Its part of any golfers job I completely understand this. And the second shot at 18 took some huge balls.

[dlygrisse]

i am just bringing up the point that this is no different then what Sergio did. Golf is a huge sponsorship business. Thats how they get all of us to spend 1000's of dollars a year on this sport. Its just funny though, everyone jumped on Sergio but its part of phils job... HAHAHA. Its part of any golfers job I completely understand this. And the second shot at 18 took some huge balls.

 

 

I think that is where everyone disagrees with you, there is a difference in how they did it. Sergios seemed very rehearsed planned and contrived, Phil's seemed like an answer to a question. Also Sergio seemed to be making up for kissing the Scotty Cameron on the green when he made the putt, that had to have the people at Taylor squirming, I would bet his agent said something to him between then and the acceptance speech.

[dbar189]

I thought it was pretty cool what he was saying. It was his old putter and they added the xg insert and a sight line on the top. That's sick. I wish I could do that to my old ping.

[alcap26]

Since your are linking NASCAR to this thread then this saying is a must:

 

 

What wins on Sunday sells on Monday

[Swingtheclub]

well he putted better this week than he has all year so something was working