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Phil Mickelson

Philip Alfred "Phil" Mickelson (born June 16, 1970) (nicknamed "Lefty" for having a left-handed swing, despite being right-handed), is an American professional golfer. He is one of the leading players of his generation, having won major championships and events on the PGA Tour.

Born in San Diego, California and raised in Arizona (graduating from ASU), Mickelson began playing golf at a very young age. In 1990, Mickelson became the first left-hander to win the U.S. Amateur title. By 1991, he had won his first PGA Tour tournament at the Northern Telecom Open as an amateur, becoming the first to do so since Scott Verplank at the 1985 Western Open.

Mickelson is golf's most complex character. Talentwise, on his worst day, he's the third best golfer in the world. The problem has been getting him to act like it. For a while on the course, short putts were his weakness. He missed huge putts in the 1999 U.S. Open, then later that year, he pulled two little guys in the final three holes of a Friday afternoon Ryder Cup match. Then, his course management was an issue. Partly due to the fact that he would try to smash the ball as far as he could, then hit it right at the flag. Never would he mind that sometimes he was trying to hit a ball through a gap the width of a dime, but he went for it.

Mickelson continued to win many PGA Tour tournaments, winning at the Byron Nelson Golf Classic and the World Series of Golf in 1996, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am in 1998, the Colonial in 2000 and the Greater Hartford Open in 2001 and again in 2002. However, despite his victories (21 as of 2004), he had yet to win a major championship until his victory at The Masters in '04. Before the victory, he was considered to be the best golfer in the world who had not won a major, often having been accused of "choking" in such events.

His Masters win made him only the third golfer with a left-handed swing to win a major, the others being New Zealander Sir Bob Charles who won the British Open in 1963 and Canadian Mike Weir who won The Masters in 2003. (Like Mickelson, Weir is a right-hander who plays left-handed.) Mickelson is also one of only 5 golfers (Al Geiberger, Chip Beck, David Duval, Annika Sörenstam) to have ever shot 59 in competition, and is the only left-hander among them. His 59 came at the PGA Grand Slam of Golf at Poipu Bay Golf Course on November 24, 2004. However, it does not count in the record books because the Grand Slam of Golf does not count as an official event, so there are only 4 golfers to record "official" 59s.

Being a very popular golfer as well as a successful one, Mickelson is able to earn far more from endorsements than he does in prize money. In 2004, Forbes estimated his annual income at $20 million. Verbal deftness comes easily to Mickelson, who says he would "love" entering politics after golf ("It's the best way to get things done"), and who was always the class nominee to charm the teacher into postponing a test. When Mickelson is on a subject that interests him, he's a dynamo, exhibiting a voracious appetite for information, something akin to a photographic memory--and a see-through pleasure in showing it all off.

Of course, in the world of jockdom such pedantry has earned Mickelson behind-his-back nicknames like The Genius, The Expert and even MIGJAM--Man I'm Good, Just Ask Me (or variations thereof). Helping the labels stick is the distance Mickelson tends to keep from most of his peers.

The high flop shot is a Phil Mickelson trademark. To hit the flop, Phil takes a full, slow swing, sliding his lofted wedge under the ball. The ball flies out very high, goes a short distance and stops dead when it lands. Most golfers should attempt this shot only if (a) there really is no other option or (b) there is a healthy cushion of grass under the ball to allow the club -- preferably a 60-degree wedge - to slide through. The swing has to be long and slow to allow the weight of the clubhead to propel the ball. A common mistake is to swing too short and try to scoop the ball into the air. This shot takes great nerves and a lot of practice to master. It is a risky shot - maybe not so much in Phil's case, as he is a master of it. Flop it whenever you can is a temptation you can blame on Phil Mickelson.

Amateur wins Phil graduated from the University of San Diego High School in 1988, then attended Arizona State on a golf scholarship, where he graduated in 1992. During his time at Arizona State, Phil became the face of amateur golf in the United States, capturing three NCAA individual championships and three Haskins Awards (1990, 1991, 1992) as the outstanding collegiate golfer. He was the first collegiate golfer to earn first-team All-American honors all four years. Coach Steve Loy: In college, Phil was a sensation. The cameras and the fans loved him. He had a rolled-up collar, a big smile, and was good looking. He was every mom's dream and every girl's hope. In his four years at ASU, Phil tied Ben Crenshaw for most individual NCAA championship victories. As a team, we never finished out of the top three in the nation-and in his junior year, we won the national championship. Phil's teammates called him either "The Roman," because he was invincible-or "The Franchise," because he meant so much to the team. Phil was a leader off the course as well as on. He led a good, clean, exemplary lifestyle. He was just a sensational kid. 1981 Junior World Golf Championships (Boys 9-10) 1989 NCAA Division I Championship 1990 NCAA Division I Championship, U.S. Amateur, Porter Cup 1991 Western Amateur 1992 NCAA Division I Championship

Mickelson is well known as a devoted family man. He keeps his wife family close bringing them with him to as many tournaments as he can manage. In what was one of his high profile family moments, Phil wore a beeper to the 1999 U.S. Open and promised to leave the tournament should his wife go into labor with their first child. It was a nice gesture that some felt involved a little posturing for popularity. He married his college sweetheart and over his head, but hey, I say reach for the stars. They had two baby girls. In 2003, there was a problem with Amy's third pregnancy. He and Amy had a brush with the unthinkable when Amy was giving birth to their son Evan when she suffered a severe tear in an artery. Thankfully, a specialist was close by and was able to save her from a life-threatening situation. All ended up well, but apparently it was pretty dicey for a while. It has been these kind of moments that have kept golf in perspective for Phil.

The legacy of Phil Mickelson isn't complete yet, but the story has a great foundation. Mickelson has had more than his share of bumpy landings through the years in big tournaments and small. Mickelson has a more toned physique, his swing is tighter, and is now going steady with Butch Harmon.

Mickelson has at times tried too hard, going for the impossible shot rather than playing the percentages and relying on his immense talent to win the day. Mickelson has one distinct and controversial characteristic that straddles the line between genius and insane, a seemingly innate craving to go for broke, resulting in moments that have left our jaws dropped: sometimes in amazement and sometimes in horror.

With more confidence than ever since joining forces with Harmon, Mickelson has looked more in control than he has in a big event since the final round at the 2006 Masters. Mickelson is now the second-ranked player in the world and will go down as the second best of his generation.

Mickelson marched to the beat of himself since he made it to the tour. He speaks his mind and isn't afraid of confrontation. Mickelson decided to skip the Hawaii swing and planned on playing a lot in California. Mickelson's priorities are family first, then whatever makes sense for him. Why go all the way to Hawaii to be miserable and to get nothing out of it golf-wise? Smart guy this Mickelson.

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