[Scott Warren]

In the past two days I have noticed these two posts that have continued the "phoney Phil" etc line.

If you're looking to support someone who respects the game and show's good sportsmanship, Phil is possibly the last person you should be supporting. I'm not and never really have been a Tiger fan, but at least he shows respect for his playing partners, something Phil is renowned for not doing. He is one of the most disliked players on the tour, the Phil the public sees is far from the 'real' Phil.

and

One usually doesn't have to worry about Phil being respectful.

As with many Tour-related things, I don't know the ins and outs, I'm just a fan/viewer, so maybe he really is an arsehole and has his legion of fans conned, but if he is and does, could someone with actual knowledge of Phil Mickelson the person please speak up?

I'd be particularly keen to hear from Trent and JC about their personal dealings with Phil, or those of people close to them, if they'd be happy to elaborate.

[Mark_F]

Surely the Daily Mail could send a few journalists to try and catch him out with a good old-fashioned sting, Scott?

Ask him if he knows what a Passport is, and I bet the real Phil would let loose something shocking.

[Mike Sweeney]

Scott,

As much as I like a good poke of JC, I think you misinterpreted what JC Jones wrote.

[Anthony Gray]

Scott,

As much as I like a good poke of JC, I think you misinterpreted what JC Jones wrote.

  JC is a little hard to understand at times I agree. But I think he is a Phil Phan.

  Anthony

[Scott Warren]

Apologies to JC if I have misunderstood him.

[Anthony Gray]

Apologies to JC if I have misunderstood him.

  Don't apologize to him,just caddy for him. You're a good man Scott.

  ARG

[Eric Smith]

I too think he's a fan.  If one were to try to describe Mr. Jones' sense of humor as an adult beverage, I would think that a dry martini with a bucket of sand would just about do the trick.  No emoticons for that on here!

[PCCraig]

Congrats to FIGJAM! 

[Kalen Braley]

I think its interesting how Phils path and Tigers path have sort of converged on some level...going in the opposite directions.

Tiger showing and being exposed for how much of a family fan he isn't, and Phil showing how much of a family man he is.

[Terry Lavin]

The Phil bashing stems mostly from tour-related innuendo.  The fans seem to universally love him.  Many writers intimate that the smile is not all that genuine, but let's face it, he makes the effort.  A ten-year old kid who is on the receiving end of that smile won't doubt its authenticity and nobody can doubt that his devil-may-care attitude is fun for all fans.  My beef with Phil is that he constantly proves to be a tough guy to cheer for because he seems to have attention lapses and critical thinking errors on the golf course in crucial moments.  Not this week, thank you very much.  He was in control and Tiger was not.

[Derek Dirksen]

I can't stand him because of the smile or smirk he has when he misses that 3 foot put.  Too me it's a fake emotion.  I know he cares but it still looks fake.  What I get out of the little smirk is, "oh shucks I just missed a 3 foot putt for birdie"!!!  I like someone who wears their emotions on their sleve.  Just me, and like we all know opinions are a dime a dozen.

[Kalen Braley]

Maybe its just me....but I don't understand why something like what Tiger does is more authentic than what Phil does.

I guess none of you were watching when Phil won last night and showed his emotions on
1) The 18th green
2) Hugging his wife afterwards
3) The emotions as he received his 3rd jacket
4) The emotions in the presser afterwards as he was describing everthing

Tiger was emotional after he won his 1st Major after his Dad died, and its front page news.  Yet Phil does something similar and all that is mentioned is a short putt he misses?

I guess many would just prefer to hear "Good God Tiger, you suck" followed by a club being hurled.... and then Lather, Rinse, Repeat!  I can go down to any muni and hear that all day long...

[Brent Hutto]

Did anyone notice on Saturday when that eagle putt lipped out on #8 Phil made the exact "kicked in the nuts" reaction that he had in that old commercial with the video game? Priceless!

If anyone considers Tiger's bitching and fist pumps and so forth to be more exciting or fun to watch than Phil's goofball reactions, well let's just say they need a sense of humor. Or for that matter Fred Couples' fidgeting, preening and shrugging his way around the course. For my part, watching a bunch of the Masters on TV this year has caused me to resolve to be more like a hacker-Phil or a hacker-Freddie and less like a pathetic hacker-Tiger. As ugly as it is when Tiger wigs out over a ball that doesn't fade precisely as he wanted, it must be really disgusting to see me stomping around after my tenth duffed shot of the round...

[PThomas]

a good thread Sean, thanks.

i wonder if a lot of it is jealousy

[Terry Lavin]

Did anyone notice on Saturday when that eagle putt lipped out on #8 Phil made the exact "kicked in the nuts" reaction that he had in that old commercial with the video game? Priceless!

If anyone considers Tiger's bitching and fist pumps and so forth to be more exciting or fun to watch than Phil's goofball reactions, well let's just say they need a sense of humor. Or for that matter Fred Couples' fidgeting, preening and shrugging his way around the course. For my part, watching a bunch of the Masters on TV this year has caused me to resolve to be more like a hacker-Phil or a hacker-Freddie and less like a pathetic hacker-Tiger. As ugly as it is when Tiger wigs out over a ball that doesn't fade precisely as he wanted, it must be really disgusting to see me stomping around after my tenth duffed shot of the round...

Great points.  I'd much rather smile at a misfortune on the golf course, but my jaw muscles tire after nine holes, with so many opportunities!

[Bill Brightly]

I was stunned when Phil hit that iron on 13 from the line needles onto the green. If that shot had landed two yards short and in the creek, Phil would have been harshly criticized, just as he was for hitting driver on 18 at Winged Foot. I have to give him tremendous credit for having the courage and confidence to hit that shot yesterday. It was not a "miraclous" shot once he determined that the trees were not really in play and hitting a ball cleanly off pine needles is not much harder than a fairway. So it is not that Phil gambled with a tough shot, he "gambled" by opening himself up to criticism.

[Bill_McBride]

I have not always been a Phil fan, but growing to be more so as he matures.  He is really in much better control of his game these days.  That shot on #13 (derided by Cary L on another thread as "stupid,") was, IMO, one for the ages.  It takes supreme confidence to attempt a shot like that and pull it off.  That confidence is what lets him suffer the occasional errant tee shot with patience.  His recovery shots are incredible.

Tiger, by contrast, was out of control but is such a battler, who else could have shot a 69 battling those demons and five bogies?

Last night I was dozing and sort of dreaming of yesterday's final round as sort of a "Dracula" screenplay....

The part of Dr Van Helsing, the vampire slayer, was played by Phil.  Every time one of those suckers sat up in his coffin to come back to life, Van Helsing would get a wooden stake from his caddy, Bones, and pound it right in the vampire's heart with his (Callaway) hammer!

The vampires were played by Westwood, Woods, Choi, Couples, etc etc.  At the end the sun came up and Phil was the last man standing!  What a great tournament!

[Brent Hutto]

It was exciting but you know, at the end of the day it went according to expectations. About 95% of the time the winner comes from the final group at the Masters. So you kind of figure between Mickelson and Westwood one of them will fall out of contention and the other will shoot something in the 60's with a good back nine and win the darned thing. And you kind of figure Tiger or someone will mount a charge ahead of them (it was actually Anthony Kim). And if pressed to put money on the matter, I think most would have picked Phil instead of Lee to be the one that comes through.

The only part of that scenario that didn't come through was that Westwood somehow hung on by his fingernails with a 71 instead of blowing up. And of course the birdies on twelve and eighteen just to put icing on the cake.

Yet as by-the-numbers as the final result looks, the joy of Augusta National is that it was exciting as hell all afternoon. At least until the Phil cleaned up his par putt on #17.

[Jim_Kennedy]

I was stunned when Phil hit that iron on 13 from the line needles onto the green. If that shot had landed two yards short and in the creek, Phil would have been harshly criticized, just as he was for hitting driver on 18 at Winged Foot. I have to give him tremendous credit for having the courage and confidence to hit that shot yesterday. It was not a "miraclous" shot once he determined that the trees were not really in play and hitting a ball cleanly off pine needles is not much harder than a fairway. So it is not that Phil gambled with a tough shot, he "gambled" by opening himself up to criticism.

Bill,
It might not rise to the status of miracle but you are totally underestimating the difficulty of that shot. Hitting a ball as hard as he did from pine straw is a difficult task, especially when aiming it at the small target he chose and not just at the center of the green....and did you notice how compact his follow through was?

He's one of the few players willing to take a chance, no matter the stakes. I hope he never changes.

[Anthony Butler]

In the past two days I have noticed these two posts that have continued the "phoney Phil" etc line.

If you're looking to support someone who respects the game and show's good sportsmanship, Phil is possibly the last person you should be supporting. I'm not and never really have been a Tiger fan, but at least he shows respect for his playing partners, something Phil is renowned for not doing. He is one of the most disliked players on the tour, the Phil the public sees is far from the 'real' Phil.

and

One usually doesn't have to worry about Phil being respectful.

As with many Tour-related things, I don't know the ins and outs, I'm just a fan/viewer, so maybe he really is an arsehole and has his legion of fans conned, but if he is and does, could someone with actual knowledge of Phil Mickelson the person please speak up?

I'd be particularly keen to hear from Trent and JC about their personal dealings with Phil, or those of people close to them, if they'd be happy to elaborate.

Probably a lot of the other tour members are mad at Phil for setting the tipping standard in the locker rooms etc... at the tournaments he plays. So they most likely view Tiger as someone who puts money in their pocket via increased purses and Phil as someone who takes it out with increased tipping at tour stops.

I do think the 'Family Man beats Ladies Man' situation is being a little overplayed by the faux moralists in the media gallery. This whole thing will be conflated to some 'Good Guy v Bad Guy' World Wrestling story line if it goes on much longer.

[Jason Topp]

I find Phil one of the more interesting personalities in sport.  He does all the right things but there is an awkwardness about him I cannot quite describe that has never made me a huge fan.

What I am a huge fan of is his perseverence and his ability to fight through adversity.  He does not seem to develop the scar tissue that so many others have found debilitating - Greg Norman and the wide right iron, Ben Hogan and the putter, Arnold Palmer and the putter, Vijay Sing and the putter, Ernie Els and the 3 wood in the lake, Tony Jacklin and Lee Trevino's chip in at the Open.  Phil has fought through adversity on the course similar to all of these individuals and seems to keep plodding along without losing his confidence.  As a result, he has built a career record that could evolve into one of the all time greats if he keeps it going for five more years.

I have never found golf or any sport to be much of a morality play.  I find the performance on the course to be much more interesting.

[Patrick Hodgdon]

I too think he's a fan.  If one were to try to describe Mr. Jones' sense of humor as an adult beverage, I would think that a dry martini with a bucket of sand would just about do the trick.  No emoticons for that on here!

That's going in the sig! Classic Eric.

[JESII]

I was stunned when Phil hit that iron on 13 from the line needles onto the green. If that shot had landed two yards short and in the creek, Phil would have been harshly criticized, just as he was for hitting driver on 18 at Winged Foot. I have to give him tremendous credit for having the courage and confidence to hit that shot yesterday. It was not a "miraclous" shot once he determined that the trees were not really in play and hitting a ball cleanly off pine needles is not much harder than a fairway. So it is not that Phil gambled with a tough shot, he "gambled" by opening himself up to criticism.

Bill,
It might not rise to the status of miracle but you are totally underestimating the difficulty of that shot. Hitting a ball as hard as he did from pine straw is a difficult task, especially when aiming it at the small target he chose and not just at the center of the green....and did you notice how compact his follow through was?

He's one of the few players willing to take a chance, no matter the stakes. I hope he never changes.

Jim,

The answer my never be known for sure, but I'd be willing to bet the ranch that Phil pulled that 6-iron 15 - 30 feet...there's just no way he was aiming directly at the flag.

[Peter Pallotta]

I find Phil one of the more interesting personalities in sport.  He does all the right things but there is an awkwardness about him I cannot quite describe that has never made me a huge fan.

Jason, IMO that awkwardness (that some see as as sign of his fakeness/public persona/insincerity) is actually a sign of a bright and decent fellow trying to offer up the best of himself -- to fans, to media -- even when he doesn't feel like doing so.  I'm happy, but sort of amazed, that he keeps winning majors -- he strikes me as too complex (relatively speaking) to be the one-shot-at-a-time-plodder that most succesful golfers seem to be....

Peter  

PS - Also, I think I remember reading that he's part Italian (I think on his maternal grandfather's side). If that's true, it explains a lot. No matter how different/individualistic Italians may be, once you put a camera on us we all trend towards the same persona, i.e. we all want to become Marcello Mastroianni.  (Although I cringed when I saw Phil in the press conference wearing the green jacket with the KMPG baseball cap...What about tipping back a fedora and lighting a smoke instead)

[Greg Chambers]

I was stunned when Phil hit that iron on 13 from the line needles onto the green. If that shot had landed two yards short and in the creek, Phil would have been harshly criticized, just as he was for hitting driver on 18 at Winged Foot. I have to give him tremendous credit for having the courage and confidence to hit that shot yesterday. It was not a "miraclous" shot once he determined that the trees were not really in play and hitting a ball cleanly off pine needles is not much harder than a fairway. So it is not that Phil gambled with a tough shot, he "gambled" by opening himself up to criticism.

Bill,
It might not rise to the status of miracle but you are totally underestimating the difficulty of that shot. Hitting a ball as hard as he did from pine straw is a difficult task, especially when aiming it at the small target he chose and not just at the center of the green....and did you notice how compact his follow through was?

He's one of the few players willing to take a chance, no matter the stakes. I hope he never changes.

Jim,

The answer my never be known for sure, but I'd be willing to bet the ranch that Phil pulled that 6-iron 15 - 30 feet...there's just no way he was aiming directly at the flag.

He was asked about the shot in his press conference.  He said the shot was actually pretty easy--he had a perfect lie and the trees weren't a factor.  He said it was a simple 6 iron.  He was aiming at the front left portion of the green.  Then he gave a smirk.  He obviously pulled the shot, but he got away with it.

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