19th Hole
This hilarious tale suggests Phil Mickelson may not be the wine expert everyone thinks he is
On Thursday, Phil Mickelson made his long-awaited playing return on home soil at the U.S. Open at Brookline, shooting a disappointing 78 to all but end his hopes of completing an unlikely career grand slam.
Mickelson has been largely absent from 2022 after Alan Shipnuck’s book “Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar” revealed Lefty’s intentions to use the Saudi-backed LIV Golf group as leverage against the PGA Tour.
- Related: Phil Mickelson once challenged writer to ‘throw the first punch’ at him during PGA Championship
Shipnuck’s biography hits the shelves in Europe today, allowing plenty more eyeballs to peer into the wild and entertaining life of the most charismatic golfer of his time.
One particular tale from the book revolved around a bottle of red wine and a hustle that likely even Mickelson would grudgingly have to respect. Phil is well known for his love of wine, but on this particular day, his game was off.
The incident occurred at Pebble Beach when on-course reporters Peter Kostis and Gary McCord were at the house of a man named Ernie Garcia.
In the book, Kostis picks up the story saying:
“It’s a great house with a formidable wine cellar, we dug around pretty deep. The last bottle we had before Phil came to join us was an 82 Petrus, a Bordeaux that can retail for low 5-figures a bottle.
Knowing Phil was coming, we got some 86 Silver Oak, a perfectly good Cabernet that sells for around $120 and poured it into the Petrus bottle that we had just emptied. We put the cork back in with a corkscrew in it so that it looks like we’re in the middle of opening it up. Phil arrives and says, ‘What are we drinking, boys?’ and I say, ‘well, it’s 82 Petrus’. Phil’s an expert on everything in his own mind, so he’s excited because he knows this is a big bottle of wine. We pour him a glass, he takes a sip, and he smacks his lips and goes, ‘Ahh, nectar of the Gods’
To this day, Phil doesn’t know that we switched it out, and you know he’s out there telling everyone that 82 Petrus is the best wine he’s ever had.”
While the biography has generated plenty of negative reaction from Mickelson’s beloved fans, there is an abundance of tales from the book that will likely make his supporters admire golf’s most colorful superstar even more.
More from the 19th Hole
- 86-year-old Gary Player shows off remarkable club head and ball speed numbers
- ‘Absolutely disgusting’ – LPGA pro blasts Augusta National for its role in major venue change
- ‘Get it out of my face, man!’ – Brooks Koepka snatches phone from fan during tense exchange
- LIKE60
- LEGIT4
- WOW3
- LOL12
- IDHT0
- FLOP6
- OB5
- SHANK58
19th Hole
‘I drove the living p*** out of the ball today’ – Jordan Spieth left frustrated by ‘bizarre’ current form after opening 73
On Thursday, Jordan Spieth shot an opening round 73 (+1) at the Valero Texas Open. In typical Spieth fashion, the 73 was relatively unconventional with circles and squares all over the scorecard.
On the front nine, Spieth four bogeys and two birdies to make the turn in 38 (+2). On the back nine, things got even more interesting. The three-time major champion made a double-bogey on the par-5 14th followed by an incredible hole-in-one on the par 3-16th.
? SPIETH ACE ?@JordanSpieth makes a hole-in-one on the 199-yard par-3 16th hole @ValeroTXOpen.
(Presented by @CocaCola) pic.twitter.com/kHZKIxKiIZ
— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) April 4, 2024
After the round, Spieth said “I’m playing so much better than I’ve been scoring”.
He added that he “drove the living piss out of the ball today”, which caused frustration because one bad drive on 15 created a big number. Spieth then said, “my driving stats don’t look the way they actually feel”.
Jordan Spieth: “I drove the living piss out the ball today..”
(Via: @pmcdonaldCBS)
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) April 5, 2024
Spieth will try to put it all together in his second round on Friday morning at TPC San Antonio.
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
New here?
- LIKE10
- LEGIT3
- WOW0
- LOL3
- IDHT0
- FLOP4
- OB2
- SHANK2
19th Hole
Anthony Kim says doctors told him that he ‘may not have much time left’ ahead of LIV return
While speaking in with the media in his pre-tournament conference for LIV Miami, Anthony Kim revealed that he was told by doctors that he “may not have much time left” at some point during his twelve years away from professional golf.
“I mean, you know, not to get too far into it, but when doctors are telling you that you may not have much time left, that’s a pretty rude awakening. I still think about it to this day when I’m out there and I get frustrated with my golf, you know, how far I’ve come. And other people don’t need to know the journey. I’m going to share it, and the people that find inspiration and strength from it, I hope it can influence them in a positive way. But yeah, it was — I got to a point where, you know, I may not be here speaking to you guys.”
Anthony Kim when asked about his low point over the past 12 years:
"I mean, you know, not to get too far into it, but when doctors are telling you that you may not have much time left, that's a pretty rude awakening. I still think about it to this day when I'm out there and I…
— Matt Vincenzi (@MattVincenziPGA) April 4, 2024
This week, “AK” is making his first start in the United States since his return. Kim has played in two tournaments in both Jeddah and Hong Kong and has finished 53rd and 50th.
Despite the poor results on the leaderboard, Kim shot a 65 in the final round at Hong Kong Golf Club, which is incredibly impressive considering he told David Feherty in an interview this week that he picked up a club for the first time three months before LIV Jeddah.
The 38-year-old credits his two-year old daughter, Bella, for saving his life and being his inspiration.
“I got professional help. I think that I didn’t deal with a lot of the trauma and whatever came from my life, and I buried it because I didn’t want to show anybody weakness, right. And I thought by showing vulnerability, that was weakness, and I’ve come to a point in my life where I don’t care if somebody thinks that about me or not.
“My daughter is all I care about, and I know it almost sounds corny for me to say but as long as she’s proud of me, I’m a happy man.”
Kim is set to tee it up for the first round of LIV Miami at Trump Doral on Friday.
*Featured Image Photo courtesy of LIV Golf*
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
New here?
- LIKE10
- LEGIT7
- WOW6
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP1
- OB3
- SHANK8
19th Hole
Notah Begay gives gloomy update on Tiger’s injuries ahead of 2024 Masters
While speaking with USA Today, Tiger Woods’ good friend, Notah Begay III, discussed the health of the 15-time major champion.
“He’s trying to formulate a strategy and approach that he can work within given the constraints that he’s presented with. And he’s got some constraints,” Begay said. “He’s got zero mobility in that left ankle and really has low-back challenges now, which he knew he was going to have.”
At Begay’s tournament he hosts that Tiger’s son Charlie played in, Tiger told him, “My ankle doesn’t move. So, something’s going to take the stress. I mean, the stress is going to transfer somewhere else.”
At the Genesis Invitational, that pain transferred to Woods’ back, causing him to withdraw from the tournament.
“For the past couple months, he’s been trying to find a way to recover,” Begay added. “He can play the golf. We always knew the question was going to be ‘Can he walk the 72 (holes)?’ That’s still up in the air. But can he recover, from one round to the next? That’s the biggest question that I really don’t know and he’s not going to know either until he gets out there and figures out whether the way he’s prepared for this year’s Masters is going to work for him.”
Last year, Woods made the cut at Augusta, but was forced to withdraw over the weekend due to plantar fasciitis.
The week will be sure to test Tiger, as Augusta National is one of the most difficult walks in golf.
More from the 19th Hole
- The wild reason why Mark Wahlberg was initially denied entry to an Australian golf club
- 2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
- Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
New here?
- LIKE21
- LEGIT15
- WOW3
- LOL6
- IDHT0
- FLOP4
- OB2
- SHANK15
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
John Daly stuns fans into silence with brutal opening tee shot on PGA Tour Champions
-
19th Hole4 days ago
Things got heated at the Houston Open between Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti. Here’s why
-
19th Hole1 day ago
Report: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
2-time major champ announces shock retirement from the sport at age of 33
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Edoardo Molinari reveals the latest PGA Tour golfer to turn down ‘good offer’ from LIV Golf
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Charlie Woods finds it tough going on American Junior Golf Association debut
-
19th Hole3 weeks ago
Scottie Scheffler had an interesting response when asked how he ‘quiets the noise’ following Players victory
-
19th Hole2 weeks ago
Jon Rahm dealt fresh blow to hopes of qualifying for 2025 Ryder Cup