OT: The Masters

[andrewaters]

I am a huge golf fan... I want to preface this comment with that. And by huge golf fan I mean if the good Lord came down and said you can only watch 1 sporting event every year I would pick The Masters over the Eagles in the Super Bowl because it is just simply the most tradition rich, TV friendly event there is in sport.

That was an amazing weekend of golf. Some truly incredible shots. 2 hole outs for eagle by the two best players in the world. Phil on Saturday. Tiger on Sunday. A truly great and I would say "plaque-worthy" 6-iron from the pine straw on 13. It won't get a plaque because he didn't make the eagle putt.

And then walking up the 18th fairway championship in hand and hugging his wife while a surly Tiger bristled at questions regarding his continued on-course shenanigans. Phil walking up and hugging his wife.

Guys I am not ashamed to admit that I had a tear in my eye. I'm not sure if it is all fake and behind closed doors Phil Mickelson is a womanizing, dog fighting sleezeball but I don't think he is. I think he is the Real McCoy. As nice a guy off the course as he is on it. A family man. A great husband. A good friend. A guy that you could invite over to your house and would help you lift a couch and then play catch with your kids in the backyard.

Again, I am a huge golf fan and don't know how many of you actually watched this but with all the crap going on in the world right now and in sports. This was a great tournament to watch.

Karma man.

[stevemc]

aw - I always am pulling for Phil. I wouldn't get caught up in the persona though. We've seen so many people torn down in today's media. I hope Phil is the real mccoy like you say but I try not to let it sway me too much. With that said, he is likable and alot of fun to watch.

[leifdawg]

I have zero respect for Phil Mikelson. He wasted his own talent for half or more of his career.

A LOL at karma having any effect on the outcome of this tournament. Tiger has been philandering for years and still won plenty of majors.

Phil Mikelson and every other pro golfer should be kissing the ground that Tiger walks on for allowing them the chance to make as much money as he does.

[stocknowledge]

AW, I am not a big golf man, but I really enjoyed your post and I can appreciate how you feel about the event and your hopes for Mickelson being the real McCoy.

Perhaps Tiger can learn something from Phil - about the beauty and value of being faithful to those who love and support you. Perhaps he can.

In any case, it is great when a sporting event and the people participating in it can touch your heart. (And women wonder why we spend so much time watching sports!)

[sfphillyfan]

Phil Mickelson is a phony and I've always hated him. It just turned out Tiger was a bigger phony.

[stevemc]

How is Mickelson a phony?

[sfphillyfan]

Well, according to other golfers, Mickelson cultivates a family and wholesome image just to get more sponsors and advertising. His whole nice guy routine was just an act.

Turns out Tiger Woods beat him by a mile but it doesn't mean Mickelson isn't a phony.

from GQ

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 (Fuck, 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.)

Love FIGJAM as a nickname.

[stocknowledge]

Geez, I guess it doesn't take much (two unsubstantiated rumors from unspecified sources) to be labeled a 'phony'.

[sfphillyfan]

It's not like this is the first time he's been accused of being a phony.

[Leonard Tose]

I am a huge golf fan... I want to preface this comment with that. And by huge golf fan I mean if the good Lord came down and said you can only watch 1 sporting event every year I would pick The Masters over the Eagles in the Super Bowl because it is just simply the most tradition rich, TV friendly event there is in sport.

That was an amazing weekend of golf. Some truly incredible shots. 2 hole outs for eagle by the two best players in the world. Phil on Saturday. Tiger on Sunday. A truly great and I would say "plaque-worthy" 6-iron from the pine straw on 13. It won't get a plaque because he didn't make the eagle putt.

And then walking up the 18th fairway championship in hand and hugging his wife while a surly Tiger bristled at questions regarding his continued on-course shenanigans. Phil walking up and hugging his wife.

Guys I am not ashamed to admit that I had a tear in my eye. I'm not sure if it is all fake and behind closed doors Phil Mickelson is a womanizing, dog fighting sleezeball but I don't think he is. I think he is the Real McCoy. As nice a guy off the course as he is on it. A family man. A great husband. A good friend. A guy that you could invite over to your house and would help you lift a couch and then play catch with your kids in the backyard.

Again, I am a huge golf fan and don't know how many of you actually watched this but with all the crap going on in the world right now and in sports. This was a great tournament to watch.

Karma man.

I'm not a golf fan, but I watched a bunch of the Masters this past weekend, it was pretty riveting. Those two eagles by Mickelson on Saturday was pretty incredible. Lots of great shotmaking. So enjoyable to watch Tiger three-putt on Sunday.

[leifdawg]

Being a phony is just part of the biz, so I can forgive him for that. I just think he is a soft, lazy douchebag.

[stevemc]

Sure he plays up the act to get sponsors but who gives a damn if his fellow golfers like him. To be honest, I think the rest of the tour are the phonies. They beat down the top golfers out of jealousy in my opinion. So he's a phony because the other golfers who remain anonymous want to chip at his reputation rather than address it openly? That's really big of them.

Listen, I don't think Mickelson is any sort of angel but he certainly is more captivating to the fans than 99% of the tour.

As for being soft & lazy? I wish I was as soft and lazy with 4 career major championships.

[andrewaters]

With all due respect to SF and Leif you honestly don't have a clue. My buddy that I played college golf with caddies on the woman's tour and has carried a bag a lot on the men's tour over the last 12 years or so. We had a very good discussion on this subject last year after the U.S. Open.

That FIGJAM BS and the whole no one likes Phil thing is a joke. Not true at all. My buddy said both he and Tiger are well liked for the most part. They are both ultra competitive at everything and some people are turned off by it but for the most part they are both well liked and will sit around after a round and have a beer with whomever. In fact, my buddy HAS had a beer with both of them and said they are both real men's men. Phil gambles like crazy. That is his big vice. And we know about Tiger's issues.

Some of the guys out there are jealous of Phil especially I think but guys like Freddie Couples and a lot of the European players really like him. Anthony Kim, JB Holmes, they are tight with him too. Did you miss the quote where Freddie said he was going to ask Phil for the eagle-eagle-birdie ball from Saturday? And in 2006 Freddie cheered Phil on the entire way as he won the masters. In fact, Freddie was excited to be in the same pairing with Phil because they are such good friends he wanted to support him.

Supposedly the pro that said no one likes Phil was Dudley Hart... have you ever heard of Dudley Hart? Didn't think so. He sucks and I don't believe has ever won on tour so who gives a shit what he thinks.

As for the work hard thing... Phil works hard at his game it just took him a while to break through. There hasn't been too many players that have worked as hard at their game as Phil has over the last 3-5 years.... including Tiger. This is well established by the way. Phil has a swing coach and a short game coach and has taken up martial arts type of training to work on his fitness. Also, just so you know from like 2000-2003 Amy Mickelson had two VERY tough pregnancies. In fact, she almost died with the third child. This was never reported in the media because Phil wanted to keep it private but that sidetracked the guy a while. As it would anybody.

And let me add that leading up to the Masters Phil and a lot of other players were very positive about Tiger's return. I watched the postgame with Tiger last night and not one time did he say great win for Phil or congratulate Phil for winning after what has been a very tough year. The guy's mom and sister both in breast cancer treatment at the same time and he survives the mental side of it and wins the Masters and then the best player in the world can't even say great win by Phil after Phil bent over backwards to welcome him back to the game. Tiger will never change man. The game is bigger than he is despite what Eldrick thinks. This also coming from a guy whose personal life crashed to the ground all on his own doing. What a difference in situations... a guy hugging his wife after winning... another guy sulking off the golf course to an empty house and no kids because he spent the last 5 years banging everything not nailed to the ground.

And let me add, Bones is Phil's caddy and has been for 18 years. He is universally loved on tour. Steve Williams is Tigers caddy and is a huge prick but last year in an interview said Phil is a huge price. Hey Stevie... the pot called... you are black. I hope this year he goes in the crowd after somebody and a gallery member kicks that piece of shit New Zealander right in the Jacobs.

Finally, so what if Phil makes a ton of money. You think there is a reason for that? Have you EVER seen him cuss on the golf course or carry on in front of the fans? Has he ever not recognized a fan with a thumbs up or a nod? Has he ever left a kid wanting for an autograph? Even last year after losing the U.S. Open he stuck around for like 2 hours signing autographs... how do I know that... my buddy was at the tourney covering it for his paper and watched it. Does he constantly fist bump with the fans as he walks from one hole to the next... including walking from 17 to 18 in the final round of the masters with a 2 stroke lead? And, the guy basically funds a charity that builds houses for disabled Iraq and Afghan war veterans. And finally, the guy doesn't even know Conrad Dobler but saw a story about him and his family's financial problems on the TV and contacts Dobler's daughter and now pays for her college education because Dobler's football money didn't last because of his injury issues after his playing career.

I don't give a shit if you guys think he is a phony. I'm sure he has his demons that we don't know about as well all do but the guy is about as good as it gets in the sports world right now and I will just have to lead it at that.

[Leonard Tose]

Mickelson hit some incredible golf shots on Saturday and Sunday. That 6-iron through the trees onto the green was unreal. And that eagle on the approach shot on Saturday that hit the green and turned right into the hole, just incredible stuff.

[andrewaters]

I will climb off my soapbox now but I hear that same Mickelson is a phony argument from a few guys I used to play golf with and it just bugs the shit out of man especially since one of them is like a friggin 20 handicap and wears a red shirt and black shorts every time he plays and I used to enjoy rolling him down the fairways like a burning tire.