Phil/Lefty's Appeal

No one can come up with a more ... visual ... reason people might like Phil Mickelson?

Other than his tits, that is.

 

Oh, I've always thought that's the case. And even more than just being white, the white privilege part goes along with golf's "one of us" culture. This controversy this week for sure isn't something that will turn people off in that subset. I'd bet the crowd at a typical golf tournament went 85-15 for Romney at minimum and this just makes Phil even more of their poster boy.

 

All Tour guys are Republicans LTL, I don't think that's it. And Phil was very popular as a newcomer before Tiger turned pro. I think it's the combination of the death-or-glory style he plays and the fact that sincerely or not (I have no idea) he works very hard at interacting with the galleries.

 

The idea that white people would rather pull for Phil than Tiger because of skin color is so silly. If so, it's such a small percentage it would barely move the needle. Tiger has spent a career being multiculturally bland to the Nth degree. He's the kind of dude white guys loved to point to in the 2000s as someone they admire to pat themselves on the back for being so open-minded.

 

Gee and DD, you're both right. That's why I note the "white privilege" part of it. Phil grew up in the right clubs and plays The Right Way.

Overall I think his jovial banter with the crowd is the big reason, his go-for-broke style is second, I'd probably put his wife third, and his racial background is down the list but it's on the list.

 

Why are no minority or foreign athletes ever described as "an Everyman"?

 

Yeah, it seems a little simplistic to dismiss his popularity as being because he's white.

It's not like Tiger was hurting for popularity before his scandal.

Phil is easy to like. He's friendly, he's got the hot wife, the picture perfect kids and as Alma said, he pounds fists and does the little things that can go a long way.

 

Gotta say it makes me queasy to see Mickelson compared to Palmer, even as a matter of 'everyman' appeal.

Where do we situate him in the great scheme of things?

 

Been around a lot of golf tournaments and talked to a lot of people, both media, players and tournament officials.
Based on that, I believe Phil signs autographs for two reasons, and two reasons only:
1. It makes him look good.
2. It makes Tiger look bad.
Feinstein knows as much on the inside as anyone. The Eddie Haskell characterization is spot on (for those of us who were alive to watch TV in the 60s).

 

A line frequently heard in the caddie barn at Tour events:
Amy has the real smile. Phil has the real tits.

 

Phil didn't want the first ball round because it was in a hazard that would have given him a shitty lie for the drop. He felt it was better to hit his third shot off the tee. He still had to make the effort to look for the ball but the fan screwed that up.

 

Tiger and Phil are both the same in that they can execute outrageously difficult shots. Tiger's trick is that he calls upon that talent as little as possible. Even in his prime, he was the most conservative player out there. Fairways and greens, and he'd hit a few close just because he's Tiger.
Phil short-sides himself, misses fairways and makes too many demands on his talent. He can execute the difficult shot. So can Tiger. But no one executes those shots 10 times out of 10.