review of Alan Shipnuck's new book "Phil"

[deepred]

If the author was a reporter running down a story I could see his tweets about the Saudi remarks and the Tour. As a guy holding conversations with the subject of a book I don’t. My personal ethics would preclude me from including in the book anything told to me by someone who later said don’t include that.

 

[Hawkeye77]

6 minutes ago, deepred said:

If the author was a reporter running down a story I could see his tweets about the Saudi remarks and the Tour. As a guy holding conversations with the subject of a book I don’t. My personal ethics would preclude me from including in the book anything told to me by someone who later said don’t include that.

 

You think reporters running down real stories are “tweeting” as they go? And putting all their background out on social media? 

 

 

[deepred]

That’s the world we live in. 

[drbonesvt]

How much did he owe bones

[Ferguson]

22 minutes ago, drbonesvt said:

How much did he owe bones

 

 

over 200K

[drbonesvt]

30 minutes ago, Ferguson said:

 

 

over 200K

Whoa 😳 

[djmohab2]

1 hour ago, drbonesvt said:

How much did he owe bones

If I remember reading it correctly, it was verbally agreed-upon FedEx Cup bonus money that, due to the deferred payout structure of the competition, wasn't paid immediately. I thought the number was ~$900k, and being shocked that FIGJAM would stiff Bones on nearly a million dollars.

[ray9898]

Yikes.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/justin-thomas-caddie-finally-got-163011564.html

 

 

................

According to a new biography of Mickelson by golf writer Alan Shipnuck, "Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar," Mickelson's treatment of Bones after wins was one of the sources of their strained relationship.

It's tradition for caddies to keep the 18th flag from their wins on the PGA Tour, but according to Shipnuck, Mickelson would keep the flags as souvenirs for his own family, rather than pass them along to his caddie.

Per Shipnuck's book:

"That's a giant f***-you to a caddie," says someone very close to Mackay. "When Phil wins the Masters, he gets the green jacket, the trophy, the big check, all the glory. He had to take the flags, too? Every other caddie who has ever won the Masters got to keep the eighteenth-hole flag. For Phil not to follow tradition was hugely disrespectful." During the week of the Phoenix Open, the Mackays would often host dinner parties for players and caddies at their home, and a frequent question was "Where are all the flags?" It nettled Mackay in a way that is hard for any outsider to understand.

While Mickelson would eventually send Bones some of the 18th flags from their wins together in the midst of their breakup, "Phil autographed them in comically large letters, which Mackay felt disfigured the keepsakes," according to Shipnuck's book.

On Sunday at the PGA Championship after Thomas' win, Bones got a flag all his own.

[CasualLie]

Played a lot of golf the last few days.  It's funny the big difference between what your typical golfer thinks of Phil vs those vocal on a website.  I am coming to the conclusion the typical golfer really does not care about any of the off the course stories of Phil beyond it's 5 minute sell by date.  Everyone knows he's quite a "character" so they just accept it and move on.  We forget just how shocking his PGA Championship win was because most people have moved on from Phil being a real contender in any golf tournament.

 

The other conclusion I am headed towards is the more time goes by the more it seems Shipnuts book was really a piece of garbage.

[me05501]

6 hours ago, deepred said:

If the author was a reporter running down a story I could see his tweets about the Saudi remarks and the Tour. As a guy holding conversations with the subject of a book I don’t. My personal ethics would preclude me from including in the book anything told to me by someone who later said don’t include that.

 

 

That's just not the way journalism works. 

 

Phil called the author unsolicited. He knew the author was writing an unauthorized biography of him. He didn't ask to go off the record. He shared a lot of things that were controversial. 

 

There's not a reporter or author on the planet who would agree to go off the record after the fact. 

 

We used to have a press that worked that way, and I guess depending on who you are you might argue that those were better times.

 

Was it fair that the American people didn't know about FDR's disability or JFK's affairs? Maybe it was fair to the subjects. Not sure it was fair to the public's right to know.  

[tiderider]

6 hours ago, deepred said:

If the author was a reporter running down a story I could see his tweets about the Saudi remarks and the Tour. As a guy holding conversations with the subject of a book I don’t. My personal ethics would preclude me from including in the book anything told to me by someone who later said don’t include that.

 

why wouldn't your 'ethics' require you to report what had been said, freely?

[tiderider]

28 minutes ago, ray9898 said:

Yikes.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/justin-thomas-caddie-finally-got-163011564.html

 

 

................

According to a new biography of Mickelson by golf writer Alan Shipnuck, "Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar," Mickelson's treatment of Bones after wins was one of the sources of their strained relationship.

It's tradition for caddies to keep the 18th flag from their wins on the PGA Tour, but according to Shipnuck, Mickelson would keep the flags as souvenirs for his own family, rather than pass them along to his caddie.

Per Shipnuck's book:

"That's a giant f***-you to a caddie," says someone very close to Mackay. "When Phil wins the Masters, he gets the green jacket, the trophy, the big check, all the glory. He had to take the flags, too? Every other caddie who has ever won the Masters got to keep the eighteenth-hole flag. For Phil not to follow tradition was hugely disrespectful." During the week of the Phoenix Open, the Mackays would often host dinner parties for players and caddies at their home, and a frequent question was "Where are all the flags?" It nettled Mackay in a way that is hard for any outsider to understand.

While Mickelson would eventually send Bones some of the 18th flags from their wins together in the midst of their breakup, "Phil autographed them in comically large letters, which Mackay felt disfigured the keepsakes," according to Shipnuck's book.

On Sunday at the PGA Championship after Thomas' win, Bones got a flag all his own.

phil ... what a ****** ... 

[me05501]

33 minutes ago, ray9898 said:

Yikes.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/justin-thomas-caddie-finally-got-163011564.html

 

 

................

According to a new biography of Mickelson by golf writer Alan Shipnuck, "Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf's Most Colorful Superstar," Mickelson's treatment of Bones after wins was one of the sources of their strained relationship.

It's tradition for caddies to keep the 18th flag from their wins on the PGA Tour, but according to Shipnuck, Mickelson would keep the flags as souvenirs for his own family, rather than pass them along to his caddie.

Per Shipnuck's book:

"That's a giant f***-you to a caddie," says someone very close to Mackay. "When Phil wins the Masters, he gets the green jacket, the trophy, the big check, all the glory. He had to take the flags, too? Every other caddie who has ever won the Masters got to keep the eighteenth-hole flag. For Phil not to follow tradition was hugely disrespectful." During the week of the Phoenix Open, the Mackays would often host dinner parties for players and caddies at their home, and a frequent question was "Where are all the flags?" It nettled Mackay in a way that is hard for any outsider to understand.

While Mickelson would eventually send Bones some of the 18th flags from their wins together in the midst of their breakup, "Phil autographed them in comically large letters, which Mackay felt disfigured the keepsakes," according to Shipnuck's book.

On Sunday at the PGA Championship after Thomas' win, Bones got a flag all his own.

 

The part about this that irks me is that Phil gave the flags to his grandfather instead. Anyone in Phil's position could have EASILY requested a second souvenir flag for his grandfather after giving the original to his caddie (or vice versa, who cares?). That Phil or his people couldn't be bothered to do so says a lot about him IMO. 

[Ferguson]

2 minutes ago, tiderider said:

phil ... what a ****** ... 

 

No doubt. 

 

Where are all the Phil fans now?   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[deepred]

Shipnick wasn’t acting as a reporter and Phil later as I understand it, asked him to not include the stuff about the Saudi’s, instead he tweeted it out. 
 

[Ferguson]

 

 

[Hawkeye77]

1 hour ago, deepred said:

Shipnick wasn’t acting as a reporter and Phil later as I understand it, asked him to not include the stuff about the Saudi’s, instead he tweeted it out. 
 

When did Phil ask that? 

[Ghost of Snead]

1 hour ago, Ferguson said:

 

 

 

You are blocked from viewing Phil's tweets unless you use incognito mode on your browser. 

[Ferguson]

5 minutes ago, Ghost of Snead said:

 

You are blocked from viewing Phil's tweets unless you use incognito mode on your browser. 

 

No way.    I want that SOB to know Ferguson is ringing his bell. 

[braincramp52]

1 hour ago, Ferguson said:

 

No doubt. 

 

Where are all the Phil fans now?   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Still here. I don't have to like what Phil does off the course. There's a lot of jerks in the world. I just liked to watch the guy play golf. 

[deepred]

18 minutes ago, Hawkeye77 said:

When did Phil ask that? 

If what I read was correct it was immediately after he tweeted all the Tour criticisms.

[Hawkeye77]

11 minutes ago, deepred said:

If what I read was correct it was immediately after he tweeted all the Tour criticisms.

 

If you mean Phil claiming the conversation was off the record then believe who you want to believe, only two people know for sure.  He has never denied he said what he said.  But I've never seen a claim Phil specifically asked him not to publish the comments - it seems more likely Phil was spouting off to someone he'd had numerous conversations with and never gave it a second thought and Shipnuck had it noted with lots of other stuff as grist for the mill, IMO.

Edited May 23, 2022 by Hawkeye77

[djmohab2]

1 hour ago, Ferguson said:

 

 

 

happened to me when I replied to one of his advice tweets saying it wasn't quite as good as the insider trading tips

[Anser3]

1 hour ago, Ferguson said:

 

No doubt. 

 

Where are all the Phil fans now?   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm right here. I certainly don't condone all of Phil's actions (acknowledging the Saudis and then immediately brushing it aside and saying it's the best way to leverage against the Tour was not a good thing).  That said, any fool who looks to athletes or points their kids to athletes as role models are missing the boat big time. Parents should be heroes to their kids...plain and simple.

 

I saw Phil in 2016 at the U.S. Open.  He could not have been nicer to those watching his practice rounds.  That will always stick with me. He graciously signed anything anybody asked him to sign and chatted with folks as he signed. 

 

I don't condone gambling but it's hard to call it "gambling" when you can comfortably afford to lose the money. 

What Phil did is far less offensive to me than it is for somebody making $40,000 a year spending half their bring-home money (when they have  a family to support) on lottery tickets or other vices.

 

His dealings with Bones are a private matter.  If Phil owes him money still, that is unfortunate.  It is even more unfortunate that it became a public matter.  I hold Shipnuck in the same regard as I hold Joe McGinniss--sleazy writers at their finest.  There is a proper way to do a book about a subject and they just don't do it (or in Joe's case, didn't do it since he is deceased). 

 

I can tell by your comments through the years that you don't like Phil and that is fine. I am a fan and will continue to be one for the foreseeable future.

 

That is just my opinion.  That and $2 will get you something off the Taco Bell Cravings  Menu (as long as you stick with the $1 options).

[mshills]

21 minutes ago, braincramp52 said:

Still here. I don't have to like what Phil does off the course. There's a lot of jerks in the world. I just liked to watch the guy play golf. 

 

Same.  I enjoyed watching Phil play.....the exact same way I enjoyed watching Angel Cabrera, Greg Norman, Tom Watson, Tiger Woods, Ben Crenshaw, Rory McIlroy, Nick Faldo, Brooks Koepka, and just about anyone else who plays great golf.

 

I have no clue what any of these guys are like off the course, and I don't really care.  I admire what great athletes can do in competition, but role models?  No way.

[djmohab2]

2 hours ago, Anser3 said:

 

 

I'm right here. I certainly don't condone all of Phil's actions (acknowledging the Saudis and then immediately brushing it aside and saying it's the best way to leverage against the Tour was not a good thing).  That said, any fool who looks to athletes or points their kids to athletes as role models are missing the boat big time. Parents should be heroes to their kids...plain and simple.

 

I saw Phil in 2016 at the U.S. Open.  He could not have been nicer to those watching his practice rounds.  That will always stick with me. He graciously signed anything anybody asked him to sign and chatted with folks as he signed. 

 

I don't condone gambling but it's hard to call it "gambling" when you can comfortably afford to lose the money. 

What Phil did is far less offensive to me than it is for somebody making $40,000 a year spending half their bring-home money (when they have  a family to support) on lottery tickets or other vices.

 

His dealings with Bones are a private matter.  If Phil owes him money still, that is unfortunate.  It is even more unfortunate that it became a public matter.  I hold Shipnuck in the same regard as I hold Joe McGinniss--sleazy writers at their finest.  There is a proper way to do a book about a subject and they just don't do it (or in Joe's case, didn't do it since he is deceased). 

 

I can tell by your comments through the years that you don't like Phil and that is fine. I am a fan and will continue to be one for the foreseeable future.

 

That is just my opinion.  That and $2 will get you something off the Taco Bell Cravings  Menu (as long as you stick with the $1 options).

Shipnuck is a respected writer and just because he wrote things, that have been sourced, that make you feel uncomfortable about FIGGOD doesn't give you the right to tear his professional integrity down

[CasualLie]

4 hours ago, me05501 said:

 

The part about this that irks me is that Phil gave the flags to his grandfather instead. Anyone in Phil's position could have EASILY requested a second souvenir flag for his grandfather after giving the original to his caddie (or vice versa, who cares?). That Phil or his people couldn't be bothered to do so says a lot about him IMO. 

 

Problem is that what is being reported is cherry picking and taken totally out of context.  Phil gave his grandfather the flag from his first win, then the next, and so on…A tradition if you will for the Mickelsons.  Bones is after all of that, so sorry Bones, cash your check and stop your bellyaching.  

 

All due respect for caddies, but are you really going to put a flag up in the family home and when grandkid Johnny comes along years later and asks “hey granpa bones, what’s that flag for?”  “well let me tell you Johnny, that was the time your grandad wore shorts in the searing heat carrying a 40 pound bag for four days.”

 

 

[TiScape]

6 hours ago, CasualLie said:

Played a lot of golf the last few days.  It's funny the big difference between what your typical golfer thinks of Phil vs those vocal on a website.  I am coming to the conclusion the typical golfer really does not care about any of the off the course stories of Phil beyond it's 5 minute sell by date.  Everyone knows he's quite a "character" so they just accept it and move on.  We forget just how shocking his PGA Championship win was because most people have moved on from Phil being a real contender in any golf tournament.

 

The other conclusion I am headed towards is the more time goes by the more it seems Shipnuts book was really a piece of garbage.

The casual golfer also couldn’t care less if they or anyone else has a Ventus VeloCore, iron heads forged at a particular foundry or a tour issued anything! We are a special bunch 😊

Edited May 24, 2022 by TiScape

[CasualLie]

3 minutes ago, TiScape said:

The casual golfer also couldn’t care less if they or anyone else has a Ventus VeloCore, iron heads forged at a particular foundry or a tour issued anything! We are a special bunch 😊

that’s for sure…and golfwrx addicts have the nerve to condemn Phil’s gambling!

[TiScape]

5 minutes ago, CasualLie said:

that’s for sure…and golfwrx addicts have the nerve to condemn Phil’s gambling!

This explains a lot ⬇️

 

https://www.aconsciousrethink.com/12254/people-who-put-others-down/

Edited May 24, 2022 by TiScape