Mickelson continues to impress me.......

[Three Putt]

I like him, and like watching him, never a dull moment.

Also cant beat his s--t eating grin on the practice tee when he is leading a tournament.

[wedge player]

well phil was voted one of the most hated athletes in the world noone on tour likes him and he and vijay almost got into a fist fight in the locker room one day....

[golf1234]

i love watching Phil. I love how he always takes chances and when he is playing well its exciting. he is very easy-going. but he can be so frustrating to watch at times too. but thats what also makes him fun to watch. and i really like the way he carries himself on the course: he doesnt throw his clubs, and he doesnt pout and act like the world is against him when he misses a putt. he is definitely not a boring golfer. im really hoping he does well this year and gets a couple of wins along with a major.

Definitely, he carries himself very well and is a very good role model for the young fans. He is playing well so far this week and I wouldn't be surprised he will have a career year this season, especially no one knows if Tiger will be back to 100% any time soon.

[flap]

Hey shorty he graduated Arizona state with a degree in pchcology I wonder what your degree is in?

[PEZGolf]

No argruement here.And yesterday he hit his driver fairly straight!!! I will buy his new short game Video simply cause I am lefty and will not have to turn each word around as I listen.The interview after the round made a lot of sense thet by doing the CD he helped his own short game.He seems to be the only guy on this site that gets bashed for being a nice guy.It seems EVERYBODY knows somebody who knows somebody who knows him and he is a phony.Well maybe all the rest of these REAL people should start being a little more phony because the fans eat it up and they pay the frieght.

I have posted before the time some friends of mine met Phil at the PGA Merchandise show and he talked with them a long time about the upcoming Super Bowl, even though people in line were held up. Because of the way that he did it, no one minded. It showed that he was willing to take some time and connect with people, and not just hurry through signing autographs so he could leave and get to the next appointment. That and a few other incidents counter any arguments that he is a "phony". Any time someone achieves success, there will be people who are jealous and start negative commentary. It is wrong, but inevitable.

[PEZGolf]

I have never seen a player chip in so often in two rounds. Every time I turn around, Phil had done it again!

[flap]

Funny that Pelz is not around this week and his short game has never been better,Correlation?

[MrKadash]

He has seemed to have stepped up as of late. I will say this: there is no one whose game from 25 yards and in I would rather have. That being said, given his antics on the 18th at Augusta a few years ago, I don't think we'll be seeing him on Dancing With the Stars anytime soon.

[johnnyyooper]

???????????

actually, he does read astronomy books in his spare time. i heard him discussing einstein's theory of relativity in an interview once. (not kidding). he said astronomy is an interest of his.

i also think he gives well thought out and serious replies on his after round interviews.

[Titleist Man]

You gotta love this guy. He's probably got more raw talent than anyone on Tour (even Tiger). Continually causing huge roars with his short game, and causing huge moans with the driver. Taking chances that no sane player would attempt. He's "Mr. Excitement" as far as I am concerned, and except for Fred Couples, he's absolutely my favorite player. Phil walks the ropes between holes nodding and smiling at the gallery, sometimes having a quick word for a kid standing there. He ALWAYS gives his glove and ball to a youngster when he exits the 18th green. He actually gave away 3 Cameron putters (and took the time to sign them no less!) during a tournament 2 years ago...one after each of his first three rounds (he wasn't putting very well at the time). At the Masters during Wednesday practice, he signs autographs when the opportunity presents itself and it doesn't hold up play (even though the Masters staff says this is a NO-NO). He donates huge sums of money on a regular basis, never says anything derogatory about a fellow competitor or caddie (are you reading this, Steve Williams?).

Wait for his choke on Sunday!!!

[x-forged]

I am a big fan of Phil. I haven't met the man, but from what I've seen, he seems aight. My friend has met him at a restaurant down here and they said he was a really cool dude. Aside from all that, I love his game.

[Chas]

well phil was voted one of the most hated athletes in the world noone on tour likes him and he and vijay almost got into a fist fight in the locker room one day....

That would say far more about those who "hate" him than it says about Phil.

I will be most careful what I say in this thread, not wishing to cause further issues with mgt. or anyone else .... * peace and goodwill to all golfers * Of course Phil isn't perfect, but so much of the heated criticism sent his way seems to me to have very little basis in reality (just MO). He may not make the shot that most others would make in certain situations, but his continuing to so do well on the tour indicates rather strongly that the guy knows what he's doing in playing his own game. It always amuses me when certain amateurs, particularly those who I'm sure could do with a few lessons from the guy in all aspects of the game, go after him about his decision-making and technical issues. OK, Phil isn't the most consistent player on the tour - but then again he isn't consistently middle-of-the-pack on Sunday afternoons, and as consistently boring to watch, as so many others out there. This is what makes him so compelling to follow of course - the guy is almost the Michelle Wie of the men's game ..... [attempted humor, I'm talking about TV viewing figures here ...] And when you're that talented, you can afford to make a few of those dramatic misses because you're so much better at recovery than most of the other guys. But yes, there's the occasional flash of what seems like overconfidence and stubbornness, as on the par 5 13th at Torrey .... only Phil could have pulled a stunt like that. One day I hope to be able to ask him what really happened there, if he's willing to talk about it. Which I doubt (and why should he?, the guy isn't beholden to anyone for Pete's sake.) As for the more personal attacks against him, they aren't even worth responding to. It's interesting that some golfers harbor such strong personal animosity towards the guy - I don't see any sort of reason for it but, like I say, * peace and goodwill ....* Respectfully, Charles.

[chipper2]

Watched him today and he is tied for the lead. The big question will he run and win or will he pull one of his stunts and finish 2nd. I'll watch to see which one. He is unpredictable.

[flopdarock]

he had me glued to the tv today... him and that spanish dude were just bombing drives today

[PEZGolf]

Watched him today and he is tied for the lead. The big question will he run and win or will he pull one of his stunts and finish 2nd. I'll watch to see which one. He is unpredictable.

Very unrpedictable. As I wrote previously, watching him is like riding a wild roller coaster ride. You never know what is going to happen next, but it sure is exciting!

[laxbballgolf]

I am amazed at how positive this thread has been so far about Phil! This is awesome!

Phil has always been my favorite golfer. He has all the shots, and he rips it! It's as if he approaches every shot as the opportunity to do something spectacular. I love that.

Whenever I watch Phil when he is shooting the lights out, it makes me want to get out to the course. Golf at its best, in my opinion.

[Big_M]

GO PHIL... I hope he holds on through tomorrow, it will be a nice "welcome back Tiger" for Phil to win and get even closer to #1.

[Chas]

hmmm, all this talk has given me an idea about what must really be going on with Phil. Here's the theory: he has a secret contractual agreement with a syndicate of major advertisers, which states that he is required to take a certain percentage of high-risk shots in key situations during the year. The result of said shots is irrelevant, it's only the level of risk and the consequence of failure that count - the risk assessment outcome is a ratio. A board of Golf Shot Risk Assessors (also secret of course), keeps a running tab on how he's doing. If Phil meets his monthly goal for high-risk play, he receives a very large cheque from syndicate funds - all syndicate members benefit*.

It's all about the TV ratings of course, what better way to keep us suckers glued to the tube.

..

*so do other advertisers of course. I haven't quite figured out how to deal with this weakness in the theory, as it would be much too risky to involve them all.

Go Phil!