Phil Mickelson A Mirror On His Parents

[pitbull808]

Article from USA Today

Phil Mickelson a Mirror On His Parents
By Ian O'Conner
USA Today June 13, 2006

Genius is in the athlete's blood, in the DNA that allows him to bury a white ball in a small hole faster than any man, woman or child. So the mystery of Phil Mickelson, the righty who plays lefty, is easily solved. He is a reflection of his mother and father, a merging of their very best sides.
The steely nerve Phil shows on a golf course? Let Phil Sr. tell you about the time that Soviet bomber started buzzing his American carrier in the heat of the Cold War. Phil Sr. went up in his F-8 above the Sea of Japan, sat by the Soviet pilot's wing and rushed the Badger jet away from the ship, staying cool enough to film his own interception.

The mischief Phil savors when he grows bored with the middle of the fairway? Let Mary tell you about the time she took a loaded water pistol into a movie theater and started squirting the young lovers who were making out three rows down. When the couple kept turning around, Mary kept looking down the end of her own row to deflect the blame toward her oblivious husband, Phil Sr., who wondered why two strangers would be glaring at him as they marched toward the door.

They shaped a golf champion, Mary and Phil Sr. did, a man who steps in to Winged Foot Golf Club and the U.S. Open having won two consecutive majors and three of the last nine. Tee to green, Phil Mickelson has always used his mother's playfulness to entertain the crowds. Now his Grand Slam system of checks and balances is best represented by his father's top-gun focus.

Only Mary and Phil Sr., the nurse and the fighter pilot, the practical joker and the perfectionist, weren't as interested in nurturing a phenom as they were in raising a responsible human being. If Mickelson once made news for playing loose with his money on sports bets, Phil Sr. says his son has privately gone about "being more generous than anyone I know."

So you want to know why Mickelson pulls over to the curb, with no cameras or notebooks in sight, and hands hundred-dollar bills to homeless men?

You want to know why Mickelson gives a $94 tip to a waitress who just served him a $6 breakfast at a Waffle House, or why he gives the kids working the lemonade stand at the Byron Nelson Classic $100 for a cup, or why he's poured his winnings into college funds for children of Special Ops soldiers killed in combat? You want to know why this son of suburban San Diego donated half-a-million bucks to Katrina victims in the Gulf Coast?

Complete Story HERE

[wpfisher]

In the new golf magazine, it had an article about Darren Clarke and all the support he has received about his wife. He pointed out Phil left an especially touching note, offering to watch Clarke's two young sons if that was needed of him and Amy. I have only been following/playing golf since 2003, and what made myself a Phil fan right of the bat was an article by Rick Reilly in Sports Illustrated, stating Phil often gives the lemonade stand kids $100 and once saw a homeless man standing in the rain and gave him his umbrella. Yes he is worth millions and gets umbrellas for free but how can you not pull for someone like that. Not to mention all the autographs he signs. I will always pull for Phil.

[mizuno#1]

I would like to root for Phil but he's just too phony of a guy. Among the top PGA players he is the least liked player. Too bad all that "good natured charm" is just contrived. He should be the "real Phil"

[pitbull808]

I would like to root for Phil but he's just too phony of a guy. Among the top PGA players he is the least liked player. Too bad all that "good natured charm" is just contrived. He should be the "real Phil"

 

Did you bother to read the article or just expressing your feelings. :friends:

[wpfisher]

If you read the article, how could you call that phony? Also, maybe some of the least-liked player thing is jealousy? Speaking of phony, what about how Tiger alsways "acts" like he is on the cell phone when he's out. If he was "himself" and told the fan to get lost, everyone wouldn't be able to stand him.

[kevin1826]

I would like to root for Phil but he's just too phony of a guy. Among the top PGA players he is the least liked player. Too bad all that "good natured charm" is just contrived. He should be the "real Phil"

If you would have read the article it would have told you of all the wonderful and nice things that Phil does for so many people. I love the fact that you make your judgements, based on second hand information. Plus these surveys given to the players to determine which pro is the most liked and least liked, is an assinine way to decide for yourself whether or not to root for the guy.

[mizuno]

I would like to root for Phil but he's just too phony of a guy. Among the top PGA players he is the least liked player. Too bad all that "good natured charm" is just contrived. He should be the "real Phil"

 

There are numerous examples of all the good things Phil has done throughout his career and I have never seen any solid evidence to support the claim that his "good natured charm" is "contrived". Just to be clear, here is a man who A) always makes time for his fans at the end of his round, B) has raised or donated large sums of money to a variety of charities, C) is generous to people who are less fortunate, and D) to the best of my knowledge has never said anything on the course that the network has had to either bleep out or apologize for. If this is all an act and he really is a "phony" than he deserves an Oscar for it. The truth is I can think of a few of Phil's fellow tour players who would benefit from some "good natured charm".

 

Isn't it just possible that Phil is what the majority of people perceive him to be - a man who loves his family and a professional athlete who realizes how fortunate he is to do what he does for a living and is appreciative of the fans without whose support his profession would not be possible. In my opinion what you see is the "real Phil".

[mat562]

Agreed. I don't get the impression of him being a phoney at all.

 

I remember his first Masters win; in the UK press he copped a lot of flak for his "contrived" reaction with his family afer sinking that winning putt. All I saw was a man achieving something which must have felt like a dream come true and relishing the fact that he was able to share the moment with his young family. I thought that that scene spoke volumes about Phil Mickelson, and the impression I got was that it was an entirely instinctive and genuine reaction and not in the slightest bit contrived.

 

I find, as do many of my friends who are only loosely interested in the game and the main players that he is amongst the most popular and best-supported players in the game.

 

All in all, I think many players in the top echelons of golf would do well to follow his example.

[Ascan]

I would like to root for Phil but he's just too phony of a guy. Among the top PGA players he is the least liked player. Too bad all that "good natured charm" is just contrived. He should be the "real Phil"

 

 

Based upon your statements, it sounds like you know Phil quite well. Please tell us about the "real Phil" that you undoubtedly know from your personal interactions with him.

[creecool]

I think maybe there is a bit of jealousy surrounding Phil from his contemporaries,he has always seemed to be genuine and honest in the past,and like it was stated earlier,he does a bunch of charity work,and gives back to the game of golf.I for one would love him to win the last three majors,man would that make for a torrid open across the pond!!!! :friends:

[arkstorm]

I would like to root for Phil but he's just too phony of a guy. Among the top PGA players he is the least liked player. Too bad all that "good natured charm" is just contrived. He should be the "real Phil"

 

For some reason Mickelson's genuineness is always fodder for the rumor mill. Whether he's sincere or phony, wouldn't the world be a better place if everyone worked as hard at putting up a facade as he does:

 

- give millions to charity

- be a great husband and parent

- give to the people who adore you (e.g. sign autographs all night long if need be until there's no one left requesting one)

 

If its all an act, I wish everyone could be just as disingenuous as Phil.

[freddiec]

awesome article, thanks for sharing, i didn't realize Phil was that giving, he's a very special person with a great heart. I like to see that. Very much like Tiger.

[six00imola]

I would like to root for Phil but he's just too phony of a guy. Among the top PGA players he is the least liked player. Too bad all that "good natured charm" is just contrived. He should be the "real Phil"

 

FIGJAM?????????????????????????

 

according to GQ, Phil is the 8th most hated athlete in all of sports

 

Phil Mickelson

 

Last August at the PGA Championship at Baltusrol, in New Jersey, a reporter turned to a golfer on the tour and said of Phil Mickelson, “Man, the fans here love Phil.” The golfer replied, “They don’t know him the way we do.” It blew our minds a little when we heard this, since Mickelson ranks among the most admired golfers in America. But today the same reporter makes his case bluntly: “Phil Mickelson literally has no friends out there. He annoys everybody.”

 

Mickelson has earned many nicknames on the Tour, but our favorite is FIGJAM (f***, I’m good—just ask me). “There are a bunch of pros who think he and his whole smiley, happy face are a fraud,” another reporter says. “They think he’s preening and insincere.” Mickelson has aggressively pursued a family-man image that is crucial to his success as an endorser. In 1999, when he nearly won the U.S. Open, Mickelson wore a beeper onto the fairway to alert him when his wife went into labor. If the beeper went off during the final round, he announced, he would simply walk off the course. Some of Mickelson’s peers, smelling a PR stunt, badly wanted to call his bluff. “Everybody’s saying, ‘Oh God, I want that beeper to go off,’ ” recalls one writer. (It didn’t.)

 

In 2003, Mickelson violated multiple taboos when he told a reporter that Tiger Woods was playing with “inferior equipment” and that he envied Mickelson’s longer drives from the tee. Woods was infuriated. “You just don’t say s*** like that in golf,” says a reporter. (To be fair, another reporter says, “Phil was right.”)

 

Shortly before the 2004 Ryder Cup, though, Mickelson abruptly switched from Titleist to Callaway equipment. He left himself little time to get used to the new balls and clubs. “It wasn’t in the best interest of the team,” says a reporter. “The only thing that it was in the best interest of was his financial gain.” The contract paid a reported $7 million to $10 million annually. “What it did was set up a bull’s-eye on him if he played poorly,” says a different reporter. “Which he did.”

 

Most recently, Mickelson blew off the 2005 Tour Championship, though the PGA was in the midst of negotiating its new TV contract. One reporter says, “The Tour was trying to come up with a plan that would make the networks happy, so it wouldn’t have to give back a lot of money, and here’s the number three player in the world skipping the premier season-ending event. Other players said, ‘How about helping the rest of us who aren’t as rich?’ ” Adds another reporter: “It’s like not showing up for somebody’s wedding.”

 

http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=c..._4103&pageNum=2

[arkstorm]

 

FIGJAM?????????????????????????

 

according to GQ, Phil is the 8th most hated athlete in all of sports

 

 

Again...sounds like a bunch of haters with green eyes. The entire article is based on the worst kind of conjecture.

 

If the beeper would have gone off, I'm 100% sure Phil would have been gone in a heartbeat.

 

As for the switch to Callaway...is he the only player that gets paid by an equipment company all of a sudden?

 

Sounds like tour players hating him for being better, landing a great equipment contract, being more generous, and being a better family man.

 

If I had to guess, I'd say these other guys on tour hate him because he's what they wish they could be. And its just easier to say that he's a phony rather than saying he's a better guy.

 

All this talk and conjecture and still not a single concrete example of his "phoniness". If anything, his statements about Tiger's equipment demonstrated maybe too much candor, but not phoniness.

 

I hate to say this, but if he's hated, its for all the right reasons.

[pitbull808]

Geesh...I start off with what I thought was a nice article..............can we keep it on that? :friends:

[NikeTaylormade891]

If I were lucky enough to be a pro like Phil I would treat my fans the same way. It would be awesome

[mizuno#1]

I think Phil is currently the best player in the game. He just makes questionable decisions at the worst possible times. Straight up brain-freezes. As hard as I was rooting against him today I did feel bad for the guy during his press conference.

 

I never said Phil did not do nice things for people and I am sure he has helped a lot of people, but the fact remains his public persona is very fake. Maybe not all of it but most. Perhaps he is trying to fit into what Corporate America trys to mold him to be.

 

Take VJ for instance. Not fake. Maybe not embraced by Corporate America but respected and admired by his peers. If you do not know this by now I don't know what to tell you.

[Johnny]

I think Phil is currently the best player in the game. He just makes questionable decisions at the worst possible times. Straight up brain-freezes. As hard as I was rooting against him today I did feel bad for the guy during his press conference.

 

I never said Phil did not do nice things for people and I am sure he has helped a lot of people, but the fact remains his public persona is very fake. Maybe not all of it but most. Perhaps he is trying to fit into what Corporate America trys to mold him to be.

 

Take VJ for instance. Not fake. Maybe not embraced by Corporate America but respected and admired by his peers. If you do not know this by now I don't know what to tell you.

 

Do you personally know Phil... that's right you dont.. and you have no idea what you are talking about.

[wrayner]

:friends:

 

 

edit: talk to your therapist

[Geo]

It's sad that a thread about Phil Mickelson, Scotty Cameron, Robert Bettinardi, Tiger Woods, Michelle Wie, and Snicker's Ice Cream Bars can't go a day without massive amounts of thread-crapping (speculating on the snicker's ice cream bars, but I'd be willing to bet one of you out there would fire back, "those suck" for no apparent reason. ).

 

I once told the parking valet I was in a hurry, I guess he'll join in to tell you all what a tool I am too, and why I'll never win a Major (which ironically would have nothing to do with the fact that I can't golf to save my soul :friends: ). Thanks Reid, for taking the time to post this article and to those of you who could post positives and negatives in a mature manner. Now I'm off to gamble away the grocery money, cheat on my wife, cheat on my taxes, ignore my family, ignore my fans, take my talent for granted, wear ill-fitting clothes, take some drugs (to induce lethargic smile), and whatever else someone "in the know" would like to specualte. (Usually, "in-the-know" means someone who knows something, but here it means some obscure PGA washout, or the 5/100 who didn't get their Phil autograph to sell on eBay). :crazy:

 

If I've forgotten anything, feel free to shoot me a PM. We'll get you sorted out.

 

beruo

[DemolitionMan]

PM certainly leaves a lot of questions unanswered and that helps fuel the rumors. Illegitimate child, huge gambling debts, etc...who knows what's what. But as for PM being a phony, I would say no more than anyone else who is trying to cultivate an image for marketing outside of their profession. Callaway, Bearing Point, Ford and others pay Phil a ton on money based on his image - whether it's phony or not really doesn't matter because it's working.

 

I'm not at all surprised by any rumors nor would I be surprised by any truth that may surface. In the end, I am sometimes a Phil-basher because he misses too many short putts and has a crazy golf game, but that's also why I like Phil - he sure is entertaining; even if he does have a phony-looking smile. ;-)