Phil

The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorised!) Biography of Golf's Most Colourful Superstar

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Phil

By: Alan Shipnuck

Narrated by: Alan Shipnuck

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WINNER OF THE FRANCIS CLARK FINANCIAL PLANNING INTERNATIONAL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR
LONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE

'Terrific fun' David Walsh, Sunday Times * * 'Thoroughly engaging' Washington Post

A frank and revealing biography of legendary golf champion Phil Mickelson - who has led a big, controversial life - as reported by longtime Sports Illustrated writer and bestselling author Alan Shipnuck.

Phil Mickelson is one of the most compelling figures in sports. For more than three decades he has been among the best golfers in the world, and his unmatched longevity was exemplified at the 2021 PGA Championship, when Mickelson, on the cusp of turning fifty-one, became the oldest player in history to win a major championship.

In this raw and unauthorised biography, Shipnuck captures a singular life defined by thrilling victories, crushing defeats and countless controversies. Mickelson is a multi-faceted character, and all his warring impulses are on display in these pages: he is a smart-ass who built an empire on being the consummate professional; a loving husband dogged by salacious rumours; a high-stakes gambler who knows the house always wins but can’t tear himself away.

Mickelson’s career and public image have been defined by the contrast with his lifelong rival, Tiger Woods. Where Woods is robotic and reticent, Mickelson is affable and extroverted, an incorrigible showman. In their early years together on Tour, Mickelson lacked Tiger’s laser focus and discipline, yet as Tiger’s career has been curtailed by scandal, addiction and a broken body, Phil sails on, still relevant on the golf course and in the marketplace.

Phil is the perfect marriage of subject and author. Shipnuck delivers numerous revelations, from the true scale of Mickelson’s massive gambling losses to the secretive backstory of the Saudi golf league that Mickelson championed. But Phil also celebrates Mickelson’s random acts of kindness and generosity of spirit, to which friends and strangers alike can attest. Shipnuck has covered Mickelson for his entire career, allowing him to take readers inside the ropes with a thrilling immediacy and intimacy. The result is the juiciest and liveliest golf book in years - full of heart, humour and unexpected turns.

Alan ShipnuckAlan ShipnuckSimon & Schuster Audio UK

Golf

Sports

Biography

Marriage

Career

Golf Sports Biography Marriage Career

Critic Reviews

'Phil...is terrific fun, 19 chapters that read like Mickelson's swashbuckling back nine in the final round of the 2004 Masters. Any fan reading it will be able to tell Mickelson stories for the rest of their lives... Reading the book there are times when Mickelson's generosity and sense of fun makes you want to like him. Other times when his lack of humility and smart-alec nature are hard to stomach.' (David Walsh)

'Thoroughly engaging' (Gene Wang)

'I devoured every win, wager and ounce of Mickelson mischief in this unflinching portrayal of golf’s most complicated character. Hero? Gentleman? Jerk? Shipnuck’s masterful reporting is packed with inside information (the legal sort) that lets the reader decide. Thumbs up, indeed.' (Tom Coyne, bestselling author of A Course Called Ireland)

'For years, in all the better press tents, there’s been a debate: is there a writer BIG enough to capture Phil? Turns out, there is. Alan on Phil! Shipnuck’s latest win is no ordinary event. It’s a major.' (Michael Bamberger, bestselling author of The Second Life of Tiger Woods)

'Sports writing is often the best writing, a fact well known to those who read about sports and inconceivable to those who don’t. For a vivid reminder, look no further than this unauthorised biography... Phil is well researched, bracingly written and full of previously unreported colour; Mickelson emerges as a mercurial and charismatic figure whose record-setting golf game is possibly the least interesting thing about him.' (James Tarmy)

'A rollicking good time... Who is Phil? Shipnuck presents both the good and bad and leaves it to the reader to decide where they come out in the end... I suspect Phil’s fanbase will find reasons anew to adore him even more while his detractors will find fresh ammo to argue that he’s one of the all-time phonies.' (Adam Schupak)

'Alan Shipnuck has spent his whole career writing about and thinking about Phil, and that palpable fascination for his subject has fuelled a superb biography. Anecdotes fly off the page, made rollicking and weighty by engaged and perceptive sources. Mickelson’s golfing genius, charisma and foibles are tracked with a high-wire blend of irreverence and dispassion. For all of that, it’s Shipnuck’s unflinching pursuit of Phil’s complexity that will most endure.' (Jaime Diaz, Golf Channel commentator and bestselling co-author of The Big Miss)

Most relevant

Usually unauthorised biographies Are an angry dissertation. I found this book really balanced and also absolutely fascinating. I also go so far as to say I always liked Phil milk Mikkelsen