Phil Mickelson: An Unauthorized Biography

By Price World Publishing

Philip Alfred Mickelson was born to be one of the best golfers in the world. He started playing golf about the time he could walk without holding on for support, he ran away from home at age 3 1/2, telling neighbors he was going to the golf course, and he went on to win a PGA Tour event as a junior in college.

Most fans are aware of Mickelson’s accomplishments and failures on the golf course, but in order to truly understand Phil Mickelson, you must first understand where he came from. This unauthorized biography explores Mickelson’s upbringing, his college and amateur careers, and details his breakthrough onto the PGA Tour, all the way through the lead-up to the 2013 Masters.

From family to golf to the future, all you need to know about Phil Mickelson is right here, right now, in the most up to date coverage of his life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Price World Publishing
• Release date: Apr 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781619843394

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Closing

Introduction

Philip Alfred Mickelson is an American professional golfer. He has won four major championships and a total of 41 events on the PGA Tour. He has reached a career high world ranking of 2nd in multiple years. He is nicknamed "Lefty" for his left-handed swing, even though he is otherwise right-handed. Mickelson was elected into the World Golf Hall of Fame in November, 2011, and was inducted in May, 2012.

Mickelson has been both one of the most popular golfers in the world, and one of its great enigmas.

In 2004, Ford created an advertising campaign around the tagline, What will Phil do next? It got a lot of play in the media, and eventually throughout the golf world. Phil Mickelson would hit a shot only he could see, make a decision bystanders couldn’t comprehend, or show up at Augusta using two drivers to win the Masters or five wedges in a win at Colonial.

His parents, Phil and Mary, had been asking the same question for more than 30 years. Golf fans started asking it nearly 15 years earlier, when he won a PGA Tour event as a college junior. Much has been made of Mickelson’s perceived inability to avoid distractions. In one incident in 1999, fans and spectators wondered why he’d allow himself to be distracted by a beeper he carried during the U.S. Open. The reason is that he carried the beeper was in case his wife went into labor with their first child, who was due at any time. This is indicative of Mickelson’s attitude for two reasons. First, that he was thinking about the birth of his first son while trying to win a major championship. The second is that, unlike Tiger Woods, Mickelson simply does not seem to get distracted by fans, noise, or anything else.

Years after What will Phil do next? they’re still wondering, waiting and watching, because it’s all been so much fun for them and rewarding for Phil. And because, when you really think about it, there’s really no one else of whom to ask that question.

The oft-told tales of Phil’s upbringing in golf are absolutely true: He started playing golf about the time he could walk without holding on for support. He ran away from home at age