🕣Free Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar by Alan Shipnuck
Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar by Alan Shipnuck
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A rollicking good time.” — Golfweek * “Thoroughly engaging.” — The Washington Post A juicy and freewheeling biography of legendary golf champion Phil Mickelson—who has led a big, controversial life—as reported by longtime Sports Illustrated writer and bestselling author Alan Shipnuck. Phil Mickelson is one of the most compelling figures in sports. For more than three decades he has been among the best golfers in the world, and his unmatched longevity was exemplified at the 2021 PGA Championship, when Mickelson, on the cusp of turning fifty-one, became the oldest player in history to win a major championship. In this raw, uncensored, and unauthorized biography, Alan Shipnuck captures a singular life defined by thrilling victories, crushing defeats, and countless controversies. Mickelson is a multifaceted character, and all his warring impulses are on display in these pages: He is a smart-ass who built an empire on being the consummate professional; a loving husband dogged by salacious rumors; a high-stakes gambler who knows the house always wins but can’t tear himself away. Mickelson’s career and public image have been defined by the contrast with his lifelong rival, Tiger Woods. Where Woods is robotic and reticent, Mickelson is affable and extroverted, an incorrigible showman whom many fans love and some abhor because of the overwhelming size of his personality. In their early years together on Tour, Mickelson lacked Tiger’s laser focus and discipline, leading Tida Woods to call her son’s rival “the fat boy,” among other put-downs. Yet as Tiger’s career has been curtailed by scandal, addiction, and a broken body, Phil sails on, still relevant on the golf course and in the marketplace. Phil is the perfect marriage of subject and author. Shipnuck has long been known as the most fearless writer on the golf beat, and he delivers numerous revelations, from the true scale of Mickelson’s massive gambling losses; to the inside story of the acrimonious breakup between Phil and his longtime caddie, Jim “Bones” Mackay; to the secretive backstory of the Saudi golf league that Mickelson championed to wield as leverage against the PGA Tour. But Phil also celebrates Mickelson’s random acts of kindness and generosity of spirit, to which friends and strangers alike can attest. Shipnuck has covered Mickelson for his entire career and has been on the ground at Mickelson’s most memorable triumphs and crack-ups, allowing him to take readers inside the ropes with a thrilling immediacy and intimacy. The result is the juiciest and liveliest golf book in years—full of heart, humor, and unexpected turns. Read more
Alan Shipnuck's unauthorized biography of Phil Mickelson is an outstanding book of research. It took Shipnuck a long time to get to the point of writing a biography of one of golf's greatest legends. With the work he produces, it does not disappoint. Shipnuck is more than fair in his portrayal of Mickelson and his family. He shows us both sides of a life: the good and the bad of Phil Mickelson. First of all, Shipnuck let's us see Phil Mickelson in action as a person. He shows us a man who signs autographs endlessly for his fans ala Arnold Palmer. I think Phil modeled his on course and off course behavior with the fans after Arnold. He felt that having a crowd support him is better than the crowd being against him. Arnie had his "Army" and so did Phil. Phil also endeared himself to players on the PGA tour and many in the book sing his praises. However, there are those who would not. Phil can be offensive with his mouth often calling people by nicknames. Some are nice; others condescending. Phil showed himself to be a leader and a motivator. He showed himself to be highly motivated to win, and especially to win majors. Phil is shown to be a great husband when his wife, Amy, was stricken with cancer. His victory at the Masters in 2010 showed us that. He was incredibly supportive during the birth of their children. Phil and his family were shown to be charitable to many causes. Phil treated the people who worked for him at golf tournaments by tipping them generoursly. His counterpart, Tiger Woods, was considered to be cheap. It is well known. Phil helped families who suffered misfortunes. His family were generous to the community. On the other hand, Shipnuck has shown to us a "darker" side if you will of Phil Mickelson: his shady dealings with nefarious people and his penchant for gambling. We are all flawed. Phil is no exception. We learn of the dubious insider trading deal, his connection to bookies that were sleasebags ( one bilking Mickelson out of 500K), and gambling gambits that lost him millions of dollars. If one is making 50 million a year, what's a ten million dollar loss for four years in a row? But the more overriding concern of his gambling is the depth of the loss that none of us know about. Was there more than we know? Did he sell his Gulfstream airplane because he had money issues? Was Phil's overwhelming drive to win golf tournaments to pay back gambling debts or to make history? Why did he owe 900k to Jim "Bones" Mackay? Why did Phil not allow Jim to have the 18th hole flag of Phil's victories ( Phil manages to pay 800k to Jim and sent him 4 flags)? How can a golfer of his stature "owe" that much money to his caddie? Perhaps we will never know the full story about the gambling that Mickelson has done, and perhaps it is none of our business. And he is well known for relating his feelings about the taxes he has to pay in the State of California! Gee, I guess he did not have enough left over? Phil then lets his mouth get the better of him when he relates how he feels about the PGA Tour. He questions why a company with 800 million dollars in the bank is a charitable non-profit organization. He lets other things come out that were aired and he is immediately punished by his corporate sponsors. Sometimes it is best to leave things behind closed doors. In my readings, Phil has a lot of good points about the PGA tour that have already been modified. Larger amounts of money for winning tournaments has already happened in their response to players abandoning the tour for the richer Saudi League. The jury is still out about who is righter on the issue of Phil's complaints. Phil is a bold with his mouth as he is with his play on the golf course: both of these traits have cost him dearly but you have to admire a man with his courage. There was no doubt that Phil was driven to make golf history, but he had to fight Tiger Woods to make that history. Just ask any of those who played against Nicklaus what they had to do to beat the guy! There were several who did not back down. Phil's gambling style on the golf course cost him a number of majors and never being able to win the US Open is one of his greatest failures. He did lose because of himself a number of times when he missed putts he should not have and made shots that cost him dearly. We learn that he could not have done it any other way. I heartily disagee. A 4 iron, a five iron, a chip and two putts could have easily won the US Open at Winged Foot. His 6 runner up finishes were all his fault. After reading the book, I am a fan of Phil Mickelson for life. He has shown such courage and he has shown that his is just a human being like the rest of us. He has made his mistakes and perhaps he has not thought things through clearly but his outspoken comments are probably 100% accurate. I will cheer for him whenever I see him play. I cannot do the same for Tiger. That is a different story.
Publisher -> Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster (May 17, 2022) Language -> English Hardcover -> 256 pages ISBN-10 -> 1476797099 ISBN-13 -> 978-1476797090 Item Weight -> 14.4 ounces Dimensions -> 6 x 1.2 x 9 inches Best Sellers Rank: #94 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #1 in Golf (Books) #1 in Golf Biographies (Books) #2 in Rich & Famous Biographies
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