It's Best That Phil WD'd And A Southern Hills First Look
Mickelson spares us of the self-serving dramas revealed throughout Alan Shipnuck's rivetting book. Plus, a first look at Southern Hills and It's Time for Drillers Baseball!
After finishing Alan Shipnuck’s “unauthorized” biography of Phil Mickelson I have more takeaways than six newsletters can hold. But in the context of Mickelson withdrawing from his 2022 PGA title defense via the totally unsurprising Friday evening news dump, he’s made the right decision to stay away.
Not because more horrible revelations are coming from Phil. The Fire Pit Collective excerpts containing Mickelson’s thoughts on leveraging scary &*^%#$^&$%er money, his gambling problems, or the recent news about stiffing his loyal bagman have done plenty of damage. And when people get their hands on a book billed as a “rip-roaring” account, they will be buying a rip-roaring good time celebrating and illuminating the (golf) genius Mickelson has long been.
You will come away realizing how much he loves the game and how much Shipnuck relishes the chance to share details of this massive, generational personality who became golf’s oldest major winner last year. But as much as it will pain Mickelson to not hold court at a Thomas Keller-prepared Champions Dinner and revel in becoming his triumph with Tiger present—stories of holding court dot the pages liberally—Mickelson would not have made things better by showing up in Tulsa.
The book captures the often perverse ways Mickelson always needs something to play for. Endlessly. Exhaustingly so. And the stories come almost entirely from named sources. The total package that is Shipnuck’s Phil is also combined with plenty of incredible stories of generosity, making for an entertaining read that gives golf fans a much-needed book to talk about. But expect to leave Phil wondering how Mickelson can be so brilliant and yet so unable to read the room. Or how he can be so kind when he does not need to be and a total stooge at other times. He’s in a perpetual state of overcompensation with a relentless need for attention, with a propensity to hobnob with total knobs with criminal or organized crime ties. While those traits might deliver for politicians or Silicon Valley unicorns feeding their noxious bros and trolls, the relentless chaos will catch up to a professional golfer. Especially one who may still has an ax to grind and LIV Golf checks to cash. Or a PGA title to defend.
After months of watching golf leaders and others grow uncomfortable at the mention of his name, Shipnuck’s book helps you understand why. The extreme and sometimes erratic behavior has been on display for years. It was undoubtedly chalked up with nonsense about alphas doing alpha things or “that’s Phil”. But every sign coming out of the books says Mickelson won’t change. He can’t afford to. He has too many debts to pay and Phil-being-Phil is the only way he knows how to succeed.
With a terrific golf course awaiting in Tulsa and a couple of epic possibilities for some Grade A history to be made, this event will be better off without Mickelson. The defending champion’s inability to chill and just play golf would have made for an uncomfortable return setting as dignified as Southern Hills.