Is Phil Mickelson fake?

[Patch]

I voted "no" because he is my wife''s favorite golfer. She knows the real deal. He has a chronic illness, and still won a major with his affliction. He may not be well liked on tour, (figjam) but he was better than all but one of his competitors during his prime. Last I read he was still a top 3 draw with fans along with  Woods, and Daly.

[Lihu]

I don't see how this article paints Phil as a "Fake"?

"What’s your take on Phil Mickelson?

Interesting character, maybe an enigma. He is what he is. He works the media very well. I think he thinks about what he wants to say more than any other player. Some of what he says seems rehearsed, contrived. Maybe most of it. That doesn’t make him a phony; that means he’s smart enough to think about his answers before he gives them. He’s pretty bright. He makes sure he’s ready.

Seems contrived or is contrived?

That sounds like he’s cunning, conniving, programmed. So, yeah, that word “contrived” is probably too strong. Maybe “syrupy.” He’s the most syrupy interview you’re ever going to get. But the people love him. He connects with the public more than any player on the tour . He gives them knuckles, he talks to galleries, he smiles, he thanks everybody. When he won the Players, he thanked the coach he’d just fired, Rick Smith. I wouldn’t have done that, but Phil is Phil.

Does he connect with other players?

I don’t think he’s not well-liked, but he’s not the kind of guy a lot of other players are attracted to. Tiger, for instance, might be the best golfer ever. And he hangs out with Michael Jordan and Roger Federer, who might be the best ever at what they did. Funny how those types become friends. Still, Tiger seems more normal than Phil, more one of the guys, from a player’s standpoint. You can approach Phil on anything, but his answers are prim and proper. If you saw Phil’s interview with Bob Costas after the Players, it just didn’t feel that spontaneous. “You know, Bob, I looked at all the great players on the leader board out there today . . . ” Just speak your mind; you’re not making a movie. He’s very polished. This sounds like I hate Phil, but I really don’t.

But you did have an issue with him at this year’s Byron Nelson tournament.

An issue with him and the tour. The way it works, as I understand it, is that if a player makes a reasonable effort to make it to a Wednesday pro-am but can’t, he’s allowed to play in the tournament starting Thursday. Fine. I have no problem with that. Phil was in Arkansas playing a corporate event Tuesday. There were bad storms. His plane couldn’t fly into Dallas that night. Did he call his pilot and tell him to wake him at 4 on Wednesday morning to try to fly into Dallas in time for the pro-am? Did Phil consider driving from Arkansas to Dallas, which is only four or five hours? That didn’t happen. He missed the pro-am but was allowed to play the tournament."

[Fourputt]

I think most of his media responses are too scripted for me personally but I'm not sure that he's a bad guy. Sure I'm a Tiger guy and therefore I'm supposed to really dislike Phil but I guess I'm "neutral". I wish he would be a little more honest with the media but hey, that's sports and how a good amount of athletes deal with the media.

I realize that I'm replying to a 5 year old post, but it's still pertinent.  What popular athlete isn't making canned comments in post game interviews?  You can only make so many original statements before you run out.  Why make a major effort to be clever when it doesn't really mean anything anyway?

[Lihu]

I realize that I'm replying to a 5 year old post, but it's still pertinent.  What popular athlete isn't making canned comments in post game interviews?  You can only make so many original statements before you run out.  Why make a major effort to be clever when it doesn't really mean anything anyway?

We all saw what happened with Patrick Reed.

[iacas]

Record for revived thread?

Not even close, no.

[Gunther]

Not even close, no.

Lol, don't know how long this site has been around but not even close?

[iacas]

Lol, don't know how long this site has been around but not even close?

I know we've had 8-year bumps this year alone. Now back on topic.

[imsys0042]

If he's a fake, he's pretty good at it. No one has caught him doing anything and he seems like a genuinely nice guy. I don't think he is.a fake. If he was, it'd be a disappointment. Not to derail things. But the thing that really disappointed me about Tiger wasn't the affairs, or how he handled things or anything in his personalt life. I couldn't stand that he was such a fake and pretending to be a certain type of person to make endorsement deals and shill for companies. That is what really bothered me. And if we find out Phil is sitting at home twirling his moustache and laughing at people who supported him so he could make a few more bucks , then I'd feel the same about him. But afaik, he's pretty grateful for what he has.

[zipazoid]

Not sure the premise of the question. Could you please be more vague?

[CraiginKSA]

We don't know these guys.  No one can say for sure.  For every Pro-am guy that loved playing with Phil, there's a locker room attendant that didn't get his hand shook, or didn't get a good morning, so Phil's an a-hole.  All these rumors about gambling, womanizing, fake smile, kids running out on the green after the victories...  It's all conjecture and speculation (except for the gambling, we know he does that).

Is Rory fake becuase his mom hugged him on 18 after he won the Open?  Is he an a-hole because he dropped a dime on Caroline?  No one can say for sure.

I voted no in the poll.  I think Phil is complicated.  He signs all those autographs for a reason.  He breaks out that "aw shucks" look every time he hits that flop shot stiff.  It's all calculated.  It's an image.  How far it carries over into his personal life we don't know.  Even if you were his neighbor, you couldn't know for sure.

Look at Tiger.  We all thought that he was the biggest jerk ever, but at least he was a good family man.  Turns out he was the worst family man ever.  He makes NBA superstars look like, well Phil!  I can't imagine what pulling in $50mm-$100mm per year would do to a guy.  But i don't think i would handle it very well.  Rich people are different than the rest of us.  That's how they get rich.

He's cultivated that regular guy image, and is sticking to it, even though he lives in a different world than the rest of us.  Bottom line, I think Phil is the most genuine semi-billionaire ever.