The guy has the distance and touch around the greens.Just think if he did'nt miss those 3 footers at Augusta and Bethpage.The pressure he would have put on the leaderboard.He is like everyman.I hope he makes a big run tomorrow.

not to be rude, but what is tiger? tiger is everyman then too. if sergio didnt miss three footers he could be everyman as well.

With an ex-cheerleader wife and jet.

what you dont have those ?

a ex-nanny and a hell of a yacht aint bad either.

Not to be rude but on GC someone said the people in NY like Phil because he spends a lot of time with the fans, signs autographs for hours especially for kids, smiles and makes eye contact with the crowd, fist bumps between holes. Yeah it is a bit over the top because of Amy being sick but oh well a lot of people really like the guy.

NY fans are not easy and can be tough. Phil hits it a mile and is exciting like Mickey Mantle. He is also a gentleman like DiMaggio. He does not spit, swear, throw clubs, or other things. DiMaggio always wore a suit - Joe respected the game and the fans. Phil came to play even though he must be worried out of his mind over Amy and the fans appreciated that he respected them by showing up.

I feel sorry for the people that can't see through Mickelson. Total fake. I mean come on, Bones admits Phil brushed up on his NY sports teams info so he could pretend that he cared about the Yankees or Giants if anyone wanted to talk about it. I bet Tiger was preparing for a golf tournament.

Spoken like a true Tiger fan. Suggest you change your name from Baffler to Baffled because you do not have a clue.

When has Tiger signed autographs for kids and fans after a tourney for hours like Phil?

Agreed... When I was younger, Tiger was O.K. I met him at the 1997 (at the time) Phoenix Open. He signed a few things for me. However, he seems to only have gotten worse along the years... (in regards to being "fan friendly" like Phil). People seem to jump on the Tiger bandwagon, however I do respect him... He's effing amazing and one helluva golfer, I respect him in that sense. But Phil seems to have the "bigger heart." Again, just my $0.02

He's hoping that it ends early?? He said he hopes it's done by Sunday night, that's on time not early. His family has booked a vacation before his wife starts cancer treatments. What's wrong with you where you have a problem with that??

Mickelson was the one who said he "boned" up on NY sports, not Bones. He wasn't hiding anything as your "version" suggests. Said he wanted to be able to know what was going on when asked so he could have an informed response/talk about the NY sports landscape. The mind bobbling thing is that you consider that evidence of being "fake". Wanting to have a clue=fake - WOW! Nice reasoning.

Well ... Manhattan is also home to things like Madison avenue, and a lot of corporate politics ... so the idea of putting on a fake front is not exactly unknown (indeed, in some ways its even respected). He did nothing other than what any politician on the campaign trail does - looks up some minor factoids about whatever city he's in, and inserts them into particular places in a speech (because doing such a thing is well known to have people in a crowd feel like you are "connected" to them).

Weird thing, everyone knows they're doing it, that its an utterly false, surface thing, but it still works (which is why everyone still does it). Hell - even rock bands do it - they do the identical show in every city they visit on a particular tour (they rehearse a show for months before a tour), except that at one point they'll say "Hello Cleveland! Best rocknroll city on earth!" ... and the next night say "Hello Detroit" Best rocknroll city on earth!". Same principle ... to connect with locals doesn't require a genuine sense of connection, merely an illusion of connection that it takes but a few sentences to create.

But see, here's the interesting thing - doing this as an entertainer, or to sell something, or as a politician all happens because the person wants something from locals ... the politician doesn't just play the local factoid game for fun - he's doing it to get votes, and the feeling of "connection" is part of the formula for doing it.

The fact that Phil did this speaks volumes - actually made me a bit sad. Yeah, he fist bumps fans. Signs autographs "for hours" (which is probably a bit of an overstatement, but still) ... talks about the wonderful family vacation he has planned. He "connects". But ... why would he need to connect? He's not selling anything, or running for office.

I may be wrong, but I think Phil is simply insecure. He wants crowds, and adoring fans.

It would have to be very hard to be in his position. The guy is a great golfer. One of the best. He has to know that if Tiger had not come along in his generation of golf, he'd probably be the biggest name in the game (at least in the US - I'm not sure he'd have international reach Tiger does, but still). He's got a truly impressive number of wins, with multiple majors. He'll certainly be in the golf hall of fame. But he knows that in the history of the game, he's just not at Tiger's level. Never will be.

What must it be like to spend one's entire career in the shadow of Tiger? Not just as a PGA pro that wins a couple of tourneys, but as the pro that would have been #1 had it not been for Tiger? Watching Tiger's massive crowds - I wonder how often Phil thinks "those could have been mine".

You do get bigger crowds, and more adoring fans, if you "connect" with people. Thing is though, the fact that Phil would do the PR game (consciously or unconsciously) is yet another sign that he isn't Tiger. Tiger doesn't connect. He does do polite interviews, does sign autographs, and does communicate to some degree ... but its clear he doesn't care whether he's "liked" or not. He spits. He swears. He throws clubs. He doesn't fist-bump people on the way to the fist tee ... he keeps his eyes forward, and has a caddy that looks (and acts) like a bouncer to keep people away. And yet, the crowds that follow him around are bigger than pretty much any crowd in the history of the game. His name in any tourney increases attendance and TV audience by something like 25% - 30% (at least).

Whether someone connects or not, or is an "everyman" is, at the end of the day, meaningless. In the bigger picture, when you watch Tiger, you're watching history being made. When you watch Phil, you're watching a footnote. Whether he fist bumps you or not.

awesome post midasmulligan200... A lot to ponder. You captured the whole scenario extremely well

^^^^^^^^^^ CONCUR!

You don't qualify to be everyman when you're born with the proverbial "silver spoon in your mouth."

Even if he started off as everyman the second he got a T-Rex fossil for his birthday he had to turn in his everyman ID card. That said I still like Phil, he is just not everyman.

John Daly is the ultimate everyman, lives beyond his means, substance abuse, weight issues, marital issues, fashion issues, etc.................. Truely everyman. The only difference is most of us are dealing with one or two issues, John has them all.

like the guys says in the commercial 'me three!' mm200 post was one of the best I've read in long time....

98% of these guys would not qualify to be "everyman"

Solid post. To me it's pretty obvious that a lot of Phil's appeal is manufactured, but clearly it's working on a lot of people.

On TV they've got those pre-taped player interviews, one of the questions was "Would you sleep in your car to play Bethpage?". All the responses were pretty candid - "Uhh, no" as you should expect from multi-millionaire golf pro's who can play just about anywhere they please. But then Phil chimes in with "Sure I would!". Yeah right Phil, as if. I like watching the guy play golf, but as hard as he tries he's no Arnold Palmer.

I don't have a clue about ......? I'd say Tiger has signed plenty of autographs for people, and I guarantee you he's more liked in the locker room and behind closed doors. My reference to Tiger was really in the direction of "what's the best player in the world doing the week before a major" not so much I love Tiger, do everything Tiger does. I respect Phil's game and accomplishments, but I think he could close the gap if he wasn't so aware of the crowds and trying to say the right thing and being the most likable. Agree with Midas, guess he knows he can't be the best player in the world so he'll try to be the most liked. If you can't see that, then keep cheering for the guy!!

"Everyman" can't get 3-feet of backspin on a driver like Phil, either........did you just see that?

I like and respect all the golfers. I like Phil but I am no fan boy. I like dozens of other olfers like Sean O"hair, Padraig, Nick Watney and on and on. To play on the PGA you have to have lots of talent.

The nice thing about Phil fans is people reading posts here do not have to wade through endless posts of "If you could ask Phil one question" or 'I wonder what Phil's favorite color is" or "Is Phil out of it" or on and on. I wonder if the fan boys who are "younger" golfers. They often sound like little kids with posters on their bedroom wall of you know who fist pumping.

You also usually hear at least three or more of them screaming "get in the hole" when their man crush tees off. Creepy and rather pathetic. I mean really get a life.

Tiger has the most manufactured persona in sports history - why is he not "fake"?

Um ... really? Actually - if you read WRX, the vast majority of complaints about Tiger come down to the fact that he is not manufactured at all. He swears (OMG!!! What about the children!!!!). He's a terrible role model. He drops F-bombs. He throws clubs. He doesn't "fist-bump" anyone. Stevie actually threatens fans that try to get too personal. He doesn't give a flying crap whether he's loved. Or popular. He doesn't seek it. He doesn't try to be a role model. He doesn't delibrately try to make any impression at all. In fact, he is far closer to Daly, (and Arnie, and Hogan - all of whom, werirdly enough, smoked like smokestacks on the course) than PM ever will be.

Tiger has never given any indication that he gives a damn how he's perceived. (In fact, he doesn't have to). The dude is pretty much one of the most single-minded golfers in history. You want him to say "I love my fans, they are amazing and important"? He never will. His attitude never will. The guy seems to care about nothing, at this point, other than winning 19 ... he does not seek fans ... he seeks wins. In majors.

This is a pretty sophisticated board ... but sometimes I wonder if it is really understood (even here) what this guy is ... I'm 51 ... I do. (As a young man, I actually got to see Jack, and Arnie, and even Hogan play live ... many thanks to my Father).

This "Tiger vs. Phil" is a joke. Phil is very good in this generation ... but with Tiger ... well, Phil has a good number of Tour wins, and 3 majors. 3.

Dig this, however. Three men, in the history of the PGA, have won majors in the double digits. Jack (18). Tiger (14). Prior to those two, one other man did it ... Walter Hagan (11 ... his last one in freaking 1929). Everyone else (the best over the 20th and 21st century) have 9, or 8, or less ... including the likes of Hogan, Vardon, Bobby Jones, Snead, Watson, Palmer, etc., etc.

Even further ... saying Tiger is manufactured? Good grief. For all the claims made about the Daly's, and Phils's, and AK's, and etc.,etc., etc. of the world ... it is totally weird to hear someone on WRX saying Tiger is "manufactured" when I can point to literally dozens of threads (just this year) complaining about the fact that (in essence) he's actually so genuine.

If he's having a bad round, he actually (OMG!!!) ignores "fans". Doesn't give "high fives" to anyone!!! Curses. Drops F-bombs. Throws clubs!!! (OMG ... I will, like, totally never take my children to see him!!! He's such a bad role model!!!).

Folks ... I never had the priviledge of seeing Bobby Jones, or Walter Hagan play (god knows I would have loved to). But I've seen the best in the past few decades ... Hogan. Snead. Miller. Watson, Trevino (who was an incredibly exciting guy to watch), Arnie, Jack (unbelieveable) ... and ... Tiger. I've got a little perspective.

There is this look in the eyes of the best. Hogan had it. Jack had it. Tiger has it. Sorry folks ... none of them cared whether they were "liked". Phil is not in their league.

You can "manufacture" adoring fans. You cannot "manufacture" double-digit majors.

If you want a fist bump, and an "everyman" ... go be in the gallery of Phil (or, for that matter, of John Daly).

If you want to witness golf being played at a level that happens once every half century ... go watch Tiger.

And you're referring to... Phil? The son of a Navy pilot?

I guess I dont know the definition of "silver spoon"...

Imagine if the internet was around in the 50's.....I can see the 'Ben Hogan doesn't fist bump anybody or sign autographs....what a tool!' posts all over the board

Listen you are probably right about Mickelson saying it too, but I heard it through a reporter or commentator noting that Bones said Mickelson had brushed up on his NY sports info. I don't care who said it, I was not trying to suggest he was hiding the fact,..He probably only hides the fact that he memorizes the trivial pursuit cards before his friends come over to play. My mind is "bobbled" that you can't see how ridiculous it is to do that--not the trivial pursuit thing, but brushing up on the NY sports to give "informed responses" and do some landscaping. Proving that he's fake is exactly what Phil doing those sort of things does!! It's not my opinion. He did it and admitted to it. What do you call pretending to like something you don't, just so certain people will like you?.....Fake. It may not sound like it but I really don't mind Phil, I sort of root for him time to time. I almost feel sorry for him, cause here he is one of the most talented players out there and you can tell from the time he walks out of the locker room he's totally aware that there are people watching. It might be a good thing that he's aware in a way, cause I think his most real, unprepared golf moments are goofy. I guess you think that jump he made after winning the Masters was graceful and heartwarming. He'll have to live with that footage for a long time. Anyhow, proving that he's a fake is exactly what this little incident did. If he could work on minimizing his self awareness he might reach his full potential. It's amazing he's done what he has considering his condition!! I think I could help him overtake Tiger.

Ben Hogan was a dick.

All quotes from Midas:







Great posts.

As Phil knows he'll never have the wins that Tiger will have, he has gone for the hearts of the fans...and won them. You don't have to be the best in wins to have the best rapport with the fans and Phil knows this. Tiger is enother story alltogether, he has won the fans through awe and raw talent, not politics or "friendlyness". Phil has enough talent to be respected but thats not enough for him, he needs this adoration which only can be achieved by Fan-Player interaction. Both have thier places in history.

The Phil fans should know that the "which player would you hang out with in the clubhouse or off the course" award goes to Tiger by a landslide. Im bored because who really cares anyways. Other than me and us and Phil. Tiger might not read this, I'm guessing.

I recently read Hogan's bio, he was indeed a dick. He had amazing talent and focus though. Too bad he died virtually alone and a semi-recluse. Phil seems like a great guy in my book. So does Tiger. He is just switched on while on the course, I get it.

When I started this post i was"nt talking about his money or jets.When I said everyman I meant him missing those 3 footers like hacks like myself.Giving away those strokes.

I get it now. I just thought it was an excellent opportunity to talk about Phil's condition too.

Phil is definitely my favorite, but I don't dislike anyone as much as a lot of people here do (either Tiger or Phil). I don't know any of the PGA Tour players, so I wouldn't hazzard a guess as to the authenticity of every action they are seen doing and I don't know what their intent is. I value opinion on any topic... but only if the person offering the opinion has at least some good facts to back it up.

I like Phil more every time I read a GolfWRX post about him. I read the word "insecure" a lot in these threads, but I would like to ask who is more insecure... Phil or the people writing negative posts about him.

There are some golfers on Tour that I prefer not to watch or to watch interviews from and it is more just the way they rub me, not because I know them and what "they are like". David Duval is on that list for me. He rubs me the wrong way, but I wouldn't make a GolfWRX career at taking shots at him because I really can't explain why I dislike him as a golfer so much. John Daley is also on that list for me. I don't know him, so it is not a personal thing like a lot of guys here make it out to be... my dislike comes from watching him play a skins game where he yelled "Nice Drive, Freddy" right at the top of Freddy's back swing and he proceeded to hit it in the trees while daley proceedeed to win a lot of carry overs and pocket a lot of cash. I still remember the look Freddy shot him right after the tee shot.

End of rambling... I rate these guys by the performance on the golf course and the entertainment they provide me as well as the professionalism they show on the course, not on how I think they might be off the course. Most of us don't know them and never will. Oh yeah, I like Tiger too.

Nobody on the PGA Tour is an "everyman"....whatever that even means.

I'm a big fan of both Tiger and Phil...sounds hard to believe but I admire Tiger for his drive and Phil for his risk taking abilities. I watch tiger because he is a the greatest player and you don't want to miss a big "tiger moment". While phil on the other hand is watched much like those you tube videos on guys jumping off roofs or snowboard jumping over helicopters...They'll stupid for being so risky yet I can't NOT watch them.

And besides Why is everyone acting like they went to highschool with these guys and was bullied by them. If you were any of these guys neighbors and played a round of golf with them then hung out at the 19th hole afterwards...THEN I'll listen since we all (in reality) don't know who these guys really are.

What happened to fans of all golf players like how things used to be? back when everyone rooted for America

Okay Everyone..............stand up and cheer for the post of the Year!!!!

Phil needs to practice instead of signing autopgraphs.............

THIS POST IS CLEARLY PRO-BREAST CANCER.

Mods, plz ban all PRO-CANCER POSTERS. Sick!

Some very good posts in this thread.

The only thing I'll add is that the closest thing to an 'everyman' the Tour has is probably Boo Weekley or Rocco Mediate. Hell, Rocco even plays everyman shovels for irons (the X-22s).

Unfortunately I do . . . in a dry fairway . . . turning my 240yrd drive into a 239yrd drive.

I'm sorry but you can't be an "everyman" if you make millions of dollars playing a sport.

Who was born with a silver spoon in their mouth? Phil? His dad was an airline pilot and his mom took a second job to pay for his golf. His dad played muni courses. Sounds pretty middle class to me.

Some pretty disturbing class envy here especially when more than a few golfers here who think nothing of buying the latest driver or newest golf shaft. More than a few think nothing of dropping $600 plus for a driver with a hot shaft ona regular basis.

This.