Mahan is a guy who calls a spade a spade. He was praising Phil and enjoyed playing with him. So much for the little 4th hand story about guys in the locker room not liking Phil. Hunter got a lot of flak when he first spoke out about the PGA making big bucks off the Ryder Cup. Mahan got picked and played well in the Ryder. Also came close today too.

He is not the kind of guy to say "oh gee I really like Phil" unless he was sincere. Mahan is a good golfer and a stand up guy like Phil.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/golf/usopen/...,0,338161.story

Here is Phil after his round on video. One of the first things he does is praises the grounds crew. Also he is obviously gutted after his round but he is a still signing autographs. He is also pitches Bethpage for the Ryder Cup which was funny.

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/golf/blo...s_back_mov.html

That's why I like Hunter: He calls it like it is! And besides, he has one of the best swings you'll ever see.

Hunter is a very good player and also a straight shooter. Like you said - he calls it like he sees it. He had nice things to say about Phil. I noticed when the horn went off yesterday that they wedre talking on the tee box and Phil had a big smile. These guys are playing for big money where another golfer might be scowling or ignoring his competitor - Phil was shooting the breeze.

Do you really think Mahan would go on record and talk sh*t about Mickelson? That would be foolish.

* I'm not saying that Mahan hates or have disparaged Mickelson behind his back.

No doubt. Lucas Glover played great golf and won by two strokes. The guy is really really long and has a very good game. As far as "stories" - he almost quit golf but did not give up. This is no fluke either because he is playing well this year and he is still young.

I just grow weary of the Phil haters stuff.

He would have just said he enjoyed playing with Phil and moved on to the next subject. I have read interviews with him and he pulls no punches and is a PR talking robot.

I followed these 2 during a practice round they played together at the Ryder Cup. They were like old buddies out there, you could tell they enjoyed playing together.

I never really liked Phil because all the stuff I read about him being phony. I changed my mind about a year ago on Phil, he actually seems fairly genuine. But lets be honest, Phil isn't playing for money anymore...I would guarantee you he'd trade the $1,000,000+ paycheck for the trophy. It cracked me up today when Phil slapped TGC announcer on the butt on the way into the club house...felt like I was in a high school locker room or somethin...

Mickelson just needs to win a US Open and stop the marketing effort he always seems to be making to cover up for his short comings.
It is irritating to watch. He's only been doing this since he figured there was some one so much better than him on tour. So he has to do all this to fill the gap...as bad as you make Tiger to be, why do you think he still has the biggest galleries even when he is not winning? people talk about the media hyping Tiger Woods..i think they have their blinders on for Mickelson..he is the overly hyped player out there. I wonder who has the 14 majors...i think it's Mickelson.

this week, he had the best weather, the crowd and up against well, not so great players.. still found a way to lose by 2
I for one am tired of the so called nice stuff..genuine or not

stinkman, midas and baffler ! give it a frecken rest. You hate on Phil and show you man love for Tiger in every Phil thread. There is no doubt Tiger is by leaps and bounds the greatest player of his time, but damn get off his ballsack would you.

So much for the little 4th hand story about guys in the locker room not liking Phil.

The stories about players not liking Phil in the locker room are most likely TRUE. Loren Roberts plays at the same club as me and says that Phil will never shut up and acts like he knows EVERYTHING. He always argue with someone else thinking that his point of view is wanted when it is actually not.

Both these guys are good guys.

Phil haters go to hell!

more complete and utter BS. Your story is still 2nd/3rd hand nonsense.

Unreal. Stinkman said "Phil needs to stop trying to cover his shortcomings." WTF??! Phil finished second against great players. Tiger finished further back along with Padraig and others.

Glover just played better then everyone else and hats off to him. When Glover was getting on the 605 yard par 5 in 2 then you know he has Bubba distance plus he has a good game. The guy almost crashed and burned in his career but he put it back together. He will be somebody to watch.

Lots of good stories including Glover, Ricky Barnes who had a meltdown but stopped the bleeding and almost pulled it out, Duval, Phil, Mahan. It was a good tourney. I also saw Mahan signing autographs. He is a cool guy and he has the game too.

^^^^^^ all of which means next to zilch, coming from the President of the Tiger Woods Marching & Chowder Society

Give the guy some credit . His wife is undergoing treatment for newly diagnosed cancer . He still put on a great performance .
Tiger 's knee injury excuse is still being used by many ...

phil finishing second in yet another open he had in his grasp (coupled with his wife's travails).......duval coming back from the abyss to contend......and the greatest player in the world not winning when he appeared to be on form coming in.......those are the big stories of this open. glover hanging in there and gutting out a great win is a story, but it's not THE story.

I liked Phil's play in round 3 and 4, he had a few rollarcoaster moments and he still stayed positive.

Tiger's knee? Seriously? I've seen people play contact sports after the same injury without a problem.

Um, what?

I don't "hate" on Phil. I actualy see him as he is. Very good, but so far below tiiger as to be a joke. This is not emotion ... this is stats. I've been playing and watching golf for over four decades. I have perspective. To Phil lovers, you either love him, or your a "Phil hater". bullxxxx. Grow up. The dude has 3 majors. Tiger has 14.

You wanna love him? Cool. Love him. I'd never say anyone shouldn't have their favorites. I have mine. (Personally, Tiger, and Stricker, and Ernie, and ... Hofan, and Booby Jones ... all for different reasons).

What I am getting slightly puzzled by is the (really recent) trend in which "emotion" and "personality" is apparently more important than golf.

GLOVER won this tourney. Mahan was T6. Phil was T2. And apparently if you say "who cares whether T6 says he 'likes' T2" ... you're a "Phil hater".

I don't hate Phil. In fact, its much worse ... I'm completely indifferent. If he had won, I'd be lavishing praise on him (to the same degree I fully understand what an amazing win this was for Lucas).

I don't love or hate anyone ... I'm not a psychotic fan thast needs to see someone win ... nor needs to see someone lose. I look at ... GOLF.

I sat through at least a half dozen posts this weekend about Phil being an "everyman", about how much he is "loved", about how he "connects" with NY (OMG!!! he, like, actually made eye contact and gave fans thumbs up and even fist-bumped them!!! why can't, like, every pro do that?!!!").

Good greif, grow up. At the end of the day, he came in second, with two other guys.

I don't want to "connect" with the winner ... I want to see AMAZING GOLF.

Lucas did something astounding in the last hour of this tourney. Thefocus should be on HIM. Not whether Hunter Mahan thinks Phil isn't as much of an a****** as most of the tour thinks he is.

For Phil FANS ... I'm sure that means I'm a "hater".

From an objective perspective? Why in the hell should Hunter Mahan's views of Phil mickelson MATTER on a night when a young man - LUCAS GLOVER - outlasted the best in the world, on a visciously tough course ... and won by two strokes.
.
To Phil FANS ... annyone saying anything against Phil is a "hater".

Objectively? Phil lost. Hunter lost. Tiger lost. DD lost. Barnes lost.

Lucas Glover won.

If I'm a "hater" for not thinking it is important that Hunter thinks Phil is nice ... well, okay-dokey bucko, I gues I'm a Phil "hater".

When you actually grow up - you'll learn to honor any man that wins a major on a brutally difficult course ... and realize that second place is meaningless.

Who cares if Phil is "nice"? In fact, in his glory days, Jack wasn't "nice. Hogan (in fact) was a total freaking a****** a lot of the time. But does anyone - 30 years later - remember the opinion the T6 player had of the T2 player on hogan's first major? ... Um ... no.

I don't know if you intended to sound so bitter in this post but you sound incredibly bitter. Is it just Phil Mickelson that makes you this cynical or is this how you approach every aspect of your life?

Also please read the bolded part of TuffKukae's post and the bolded portion of your post. Wait Tiger is better then Phil?

Boy... just think if Arnies Armies and Jacks followers had the internet in their day. The arguments would be classic.

The point of the thread was simply to say that Hunter thought Lefty was a hell of a guy. Nothing more and nothing less. Someone mentioned the flak that phil has got in the media about what other guys think of him (which I have never seen anything in print... so if someone could direct me that would be great). Seems to always be someone hearing from someone else who hears from a caddy who tended back for another caddy who was in a group with phil.

Tiger is a good golfer (to which you would retort... NO HE IS A GREAT GOLFER!!!11!1! QUIT HATIN'). He has yet to establish himself as the man to beat since the knee surgery. As far as I (read: me personally... my opinion which I am entitled to) am concerned, until he turns back to tiger of ole, then he is on an even playing field with Phil. They both have top ten finishing in both majors and both have 2 wins.

Remember at one point, DD was the number 1 in the world and unstoppable. and for f's sake I just turned this into to a Phil vs Tiger thread. Thank you for making the baby jesus cry!

Ed Oliver said Jimmy Demaret dressed funy.

No kidding.

UMM i think you will find that phil played in some of the worst weather out there, not like the REAL LUCKY winner and i mean i have never seen such a lucky golfer.

If it wasn't for the weather in which the USGA has made a cockup of the century on, then Phil would have more likely won it for Amy.

I think even tiger would say nice things about Phil if someone stick a microphone in front of him.

As far as connecting with the fans. I see just as many people cheering for DD even though he is probably on the opposit eside of the spectrum of Phil.

At the end of the day, leave the talking inside the rope. People want to watch great and thrilling golf, not voting for Mr. Congeniality.

This is comical! Phil I'm sure is a nice guy in front of a camera, just like many tour pros. The problem is away from the course when who you are shows true. No one knows who these guys really are. Phil is always aware of the camera from what I can see, trying to make a good impression. The highly coveted fist bump is not a true measure of who a man is. He acknowledged you. Congrats. It doesn't mean he's going to lend you money. I have plenty of friends where who were acknowledged by Tiger during the Presidents Cup here in VA and the AT&T in MD. Does it matter. No. They are different and, the last time I checked, that's OK.

Everyone needs to calm the heck down. Regardless of all of this, Lucas Glover WON. That should be the main focus. He could be a one and done, or this could give him the confidence to have a greater career than he could have had. Either way, his accomplishment to outlast the field is the story, even though he was leaking oil with a LOT of great players breathing down his neck.

Yeah, he stinks. 36 wins, 3 majors. What a loser! He's only 12th on the all time wins list.

I don't think coming back from, what, 8 or 9 shots in the last round is exactly "finding a way to lose".

If Tiger misses 8 footers on the final day ... his putter is not working ..
Anyone else is labeled as being choked .
Mr Woods is 0 -2 for so far this year as far as majors are concerned with phil being better than him in both .
Oh and the swing was supposed to be perfect at or after Memorial.

well done Phil...you beat Tiger

0-2? WTF? so what if he doesn't win? so long as he is giving his best, that's good enough...
8 months layoff and has two wins this season..two top tens in majors..guy's a genius.

It's still not considered good enough by some people...

Gee, just like plenty of guys in this thread.

Gee, another Phil love or hate debate thread, what a shock.

I'm just going to make one point before I lock this thread. Choose any golf media website you like among Golf Magazine, Golf Digest, Golfweek, Golf World, even the golf sections of ESPN, or whatever. Is Lucas Glover the only story? Do all these media outlets send dozens or reporters only to focus on the winner? Obviously not, so this idea that no one should discuss or report on anything other than Glover because he won is just plain stupid.

Some of you guys would argue anything to make a point for/against PM. Give it a rest.