Phil mikelson biography
A complicated, colorful life: Unauthorized Phil Mickelson biography hits the shelves
Alan Shipnuck didn't know his biography of Phil Mickelson would become the most anticipated and newsworthy release of a golf book since his 2011 collaboration with Michael Bamberger, "The Swinger," a work of fiction that was a thinly disguised version of Tiger Woods, his rise and sudden fall (and since, rise again).
The big difference is that "Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar" (Simon and Schuster) is true — difficult as it may be to believe some of the exploits, stories and anecdotes packed into the book that goes on sale in stores and online Tuesday.
What won’t happen next week is Mickelson defending his PGA Championship. The PGA of America announced on Friday that the two-time PGA winner would not play at Southern Hills, continuing an exile from competitive golf that is either self-imposed, a PGA Tour suspension or a combination of both.
Phil won't be back:Phil Mickelson will not defend his title at next week's PGA Championship
Gene Frenette:Phil Mickelson on firing line for PR blunders, but golf world will forgive in time
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Either way, his absence and Shipnuck’s book may overshadow the early part of PGA week — a book Shipnuck writes was “three decades in the making.”
"Phil is really fun to write about," Shipnuck said from his home in Carmel, Calif. "He's a larger-than-life character. He can be incredibly funny and charming and thoughtful, but also utterly ridiculous. There are things in the book about him that are infuriating and things that soften your heart. He is many things but never, ever boring."
The book starts with Mickelson challenging Shipnuck to a fight under the 18th hole grandstand at the Medinah Country Club in Chicago after the final round of the 1999 PGA Championship and ends 239 pages later with Shipnuck's poignant description of Mickelso
Phil Mickelson
American professional golfer
| Phil Mickelson | |
|---|---|
Mickelson at the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills | |
| Full name | Philip Alfred Mickelson |
| Nickname | Lefty |
| Born | (1970-06-16) June 16, 1970 (age 54) San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Weight | 201 lb (91 kg; 14.4 st) |
| Sporting nationality | United States |
| Spouse | Amy McBride (m. 1996) |
| Children | 3 |
| College | Arizona State University |
| Turned professional | 1992 |
| Current tour(s) | LIV Golf |
| Former tour(s) | PGA Tour PGA Tour Champions |
| Professional wins | 57 |
| Highest ranking | 2 (February 11, 2001) |
| PGA Tour | 45 (Tied 8th all time) |
| European Tour | 11 |
| Challenge Tour | 1 |
| PGA Tour Champions | 4 |
| Other | 4 |
| Masters Tournament | Won: 2004, 2006, 2010 |
| PGA Championship | Won: 2005, 2021 |
| U.S. Open | 2nd/T2: 1999, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2013 |
| The Open Championship | Won: 2013 |
Philip Alfred Mickelson (born June 16, 1970) is an American professional golfer who currently plays in the LIV Golf League. He has won 45 events on the PGA Tour, including six major championships: three Masters titles (2004, 2006, 2010), two PGA Championships (2005, 2021), and one Open Championship (2013). With his win at the 2021 PGA Championship, Mickelson became the oldest major championship winner in history at the age of 50 years, 11 months, and 7 days. He is nicknamed "Lefty", as he plays left-handed.
Mickelson is one of 17 players in the history of golf to win at least three of the four majors. He has won every major except the U.S. Open, in which he has finished runner-up a record six times. In 2022, Mickelson became the only golfer who has won 3 (or more) of the 4 majors to join the Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour, leaving his PGA Tour membership of 30 years. “Thoroughly engaging.” “A rollicking good time . . . Who is Phil? Shipnuck presents both the good and bad and leaves it to the reader to decide where they come out in the end. . . . I suspect Phil’s fan base will find reasons anew to adore him even more while his detractors will find fresh ammo to argue that he’s one of the all-time phonies.” “Alan Shipnuck didn’t know his biography of Phil Mickelson would become the most anticipated and newsworthy release of a golf book since his 2011 collaboration with Michael Bamberger, The Swinger, a work of fiction that was a thinly disguised version of Tiger Woods. . . . The big difference is that Phil is true—difficult as it may be to believe some of the exploits, stories, and anecdotes packed into the book. . . . Shipnuck vividly tells the story of a walking, talking, shot-making contradiction.” “Riveting . . . 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. . . . 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.” “Sports writing is often the best writing, a fact well known to those who read about sports and inconceivable to those who don’t. For a vivid reminder, look no further than this unauthorized biography. . . . Phil is well researched, bracingly written, and full of previously unreported color; Mickelson emerges as a mercurial and charismatic figure whose record-setting golf game is possibly the le (1970-) Phil Mickelson showed immense interest in golfing as a toddler. His career began in earnest when he was at Arizona State, where he won three NCAA individual championships, before turning pro at age 22. Long known for his inability to win a major despite his elite skills, "Lefty" finally got the monkey off his back with a dramatic victory at the 2004 Masters, and went on to claim four more major championships over the following decade. Philip Alfred Mickelson was born on June 16, 1970, in San Diego, California. Mickelson's career in golf began around the time he could walk. His parents, Phil and Mary, have often recounted the story of a young Mickelson running away from home at the age of three, telling neighbors he was going to the golf course. Mickelson began an amateur golfing career as a teen. He won 34 San Diego Junior Golf Association titles, using his father's job as an airline pilot to score tickets to his various tournaments. His mother took a second job to help pay for his American Junior Golf Association play, which won him three consecutive AJGA Rolex Player of the Year awards, and a full scholarship to Arizona State University. Mickelson graduated from the University of San Diego High School in 1988, and headed to Arizona State University to study psychology. During his time at Arizona State, Mickelson jumped to the top of the national amateur golfing ranks. He won three NCAA individual championships and three Haskins Awards for outstanding collegiate golfer, and became only the second collegiate golfer to earn first team All-American honors all four years. In 1990, while a junior in college, Mickelson became the first left-hander to win the U.S. Amateur title. That same year, he stunned critics when he won his first PGA Tour tournament as an amateur, becoming the fourth golfer in PGA history to accomplish this feat. Mickelson earned his bachel Phil
—Gene Wang, The Washington Post
—Adam Schupak, Golfweek
—Gary Smits, Florida Times-Union
—Geoff Shackelford, The QuadrilateralPhil Mickelson
Who Is Phil Mickelson?
Early Life and Family
College Champion