Jason Sobel on Phil Being a Prick
I've told this story a handful of times in columns and blogs over the past few years, but in the wake of recent events, it's worth recounting once again.
After the United States team had clinched the 2005 Presidents Cup, all dozen players plus captain Jack Nicklaus and assistant Jeff Sluman took their seats on the dais in the tournament interview room. Whether by random coincidence due to how the men had filed into the room or by choice, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were tucked away on the far left, which was only fitting: For once, neither of the world's two most popular golfers was the center of attention.
No, on this day the questions came rolling in for Chris DiMarco, who had holed the winning putt; and Fred Couples, who defeated Vijay Singh in a crucial singles match; and Nicklaus, who seemed to ignite a spark with the players through his laissez-faire approach to leadership. Through it all, hardly any queries were tossed in the directions of Woods and Mickelson -- and that was just fine with them, as the two "heated rivals" whispered and giggled quietly to one another throughout much of the half-hour proceedings.
While their teammates continued discussing the finer points of the victory over the International side, I couldn't help but remain fixated on the two guys in the corner who looked like long-lost BFFs. Afterward, I approached Mickelson and asked what he and Woods were talking about the entire time.
"I could tell you," he said to me, then flashed that famed Cheshire cat grin before adding, "but then I'd have to kill you."
More than three years later, I'd still kill for a blow-by-blow account of their personal conversation. Even without it, though, we should let this serve as an example when discussing their relationship. It may be frosty on the course, they may not be sharing rides in each other's private jets or dinners together off it, but they're not above having a cordial and sometimes even friendly exchange at certain times.
Without this background, it's easy to believe Woods' caddie Steve Williams' recent comments and believe there is some sort of hatred between the players. While speaking at a clinic in front of a few hundred people, the New Zealand native said, "I wouldn't call Mickelson a great player, 'cause I hate the [expletive]," according to The Guardian newspaper of Britain. When asked to clarify the next day, he told the New Zealand-based Star Times, "I don't particularly like the guy. He pays me no respect at all and hence I don't pay him any respect. It's no secret we don't get along either."
For his part, Mickelson took the high road, issuing a statement through his representatives that said, "After seeing Steve Williams' comments all I could think of was how lucky I am to have a class act like Bones [Jim Mackay] on my bag and representing me."
We can take Williams' words in one of two ways: Either he was working alone and -- as the signoffs to those TV editorials often warn -- the views heard here do not necessarily reflect the views of the parent company, or as one of the essential members to the highly guarded Woods cabinet, he was speaking on behalf of the boss.
If Williams was representing the entire Woods camp, the message was severely distorted. On Monday, Woods also issued a statement in which he scolded his caddie for those comments. "I was disappointed to read the comments attributed to Steve Williams about Phil Mickelson, a player that I respect," he said. "It was inappropriate. The matter has been discussed and dealt with." We'll likely hear more from Woods later this week when he holds his annual news conference in advance of his own Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Just don't expect Woods to echo Williams' sentiments -- ever. The No. 1-ranked player may be even more masterful behind a podium than on a putting green and will certainly do his best to quash any rumors and put the story to rest by issuing similarly carefully chosen words to discuss his -- and Williams' -- relationship with Mickelson without causing any more of a stir.
Perhaps he will mention the oft-talked about games of pingpong that develop between the two players during the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup each season. Or maybe he will relive with a laugh the gift that the Mickelson family sent his daughter Sam Alexis when she was born -- a mini pingpong table.
Of course, for those conspiracy theorists out there who believe the pingpong and pleasantries are mere facades for the public while Woods and Mickelson secretly burn with hatred for each other, I offer up the following response: So what?
In a time when players in team sports switch rosters so often that the line between rival and teammate is constantly blurred, individual sports allow for a much clearer vision of who is and forever will be on your side and who isn't. Golf is a gentleman's game and as such, many players often form bonds with their brethren, becoming close friends with the very people they are competing against. But there is always an egotistical, self-serving bent to those relationships. Sure, a pro would like nothing more than to see his best friend win a tournament … unless, of course, he could win the tournament himself.
Woods and Mickelson will never be confused with best friends -- their interpersonal gigglefest three years ago notwithstanding -- and that's not such a bad thing for the state of the game. In fact, it could make it all that more entertaining, knowing that each player wants to win a given tournament as much as he wants the other to lose. Such emotion instills passion on the course and ensures there will be greater drama between the players when they next tee it up together.
It's hardly a new concept. Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer were fierce rivals a generation ago and though each concedes that he is good friends with the other, they've still never gotten together for that fishing trip that's been discussed for years. More recently, Padraig Harrington noted that while he may not dislike Sergio Garcia, whom he defeated in last year's British Open and this year's PGA Championship, the two men are "complete opposites" and don't exactly pal around off the course.
Woods and Mickelson may not have a rivalry of the hammer-and-the-nail variety, but it's not far off, either. Though the latter owns 34 career PGA Tour victories and three major championship titles in the Woods era, Tiger has lapped his accomplishments time and again, earning 65 wins and 14 majors in the erstwhile Mickelson era. Even now, the rivalry between the players has lost some luster, as Garcia has usurped Mickelson as the world's No. 2-ranked player behind Woods.
No matter how many times Mickelson gushes over the exploits of Woods, no matter how many times Woods downplays his lack of friendship with Mickelson, there will always be a barrier between them. Williams' latest comments will only help to add fuel to the fire, further confirming how much each one wants to beat the other.
And there's nothing wrong with that. It's a whole lot better than watching them whisper and giggle their way around the course like a couple of BFFs.
After the United States team had clinched the 2005 Presidents Cup, all dozen players plus captain Jack Nicklaus and assistant Jeff Sluman took their seats on the dais in the tournament interview room. Whether by random coincidence due to how the men had filed into the room or by choice, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were tucked away on the far left, which was only fitting: For once, neither of the world's two most popular golfers was the center of attention.
No, on this day the questions came rolling in for Chris DiMarco, who had holed the winning putt; and Fred Couples, who defeated Vijay Singh in a crucial singles match; and Nicklaus, who seemed to ignite a spark with the players through his laissez-faire approach to leadership. Through it all, hardly any queries were tossed in the directions of Woods and Mickelson -- and that was just fine with them, as the two "heated rivals" whispered and giggled quietly to one another throughout much of the half-hour proceedings.
While their teammates continued discussing the finer points of the victory over the International side, I couldn't help but remain fixated on the two guys in the corner who looked like long-lost BFFs. Afterward, I approached Mickelson and asked what he and Woods were talking about the entire time.
"I could tell you," he said to me, then flashed that famed Cheshire cat grin before adding, "but then I'd have to kill you."
More than three years later, I'd still kill for a blow-by-blow account of their personal conversation. Even without it, though, we should let this serve as an example when discussing their relationship. It may be frosty on the course, they may not be sharing rides in each other's private jets or dinners together off it, but they're not above having a cordial and sometimes even friendly exchange at certain times.
Without this background, it's easy to believe Woods' caddie Steve Williams' recent comments and believe there is some sort of hatred between the players. While speaking at a clinic in front of a few hundred people, the New Zealand native said, "I wouldn't call Mickelson a great player, 'cause I hate the [expletive]," according to The Guardian newspaper of Britain. When asked to clarify the next day, he told the New Zealand-based Star Times, "I don't particularly like the guy. He pays me no respect at all and hence I don't pay him any respect. It's no secret we don't get along either."
For his part, Mickelson took the high road, issuing a statement through his representatives that said, "After seeing Steve Williams' comments all I could think of was how lucky I am to have a class act like Bones [Jim Mackay] on my bag and representing me."
We can take Williams' words in one of two ways: Either he was working alone and -- as the signoffs to those TV editorials often warn -- the views heard here do not necessarily reflect the views of the parent company, or as one of the essential members to the highly guarded Woods cabinet, he was speaking on behalf of the boss.
If Williams was representing the entire Woods camp, the message was severely distorted. On Monday, Woods also issued a statement in which he scolded his caddie for those comments. "I was disappointed to read the comments attributed to Steve Williams about Phil Mickelson, a player that I respect," he said. "It was inappropriate. The matter has been discussed and dealt with." We'll likely hear more from Woods later this week when he holds his annual news conference in advance of his own Chevron World Challenge in Thousand Oaks, Calif. Just don't expect Woods to echo Williams' sentiments -- ever. The No. 1-ranked player may be even more masterful behind a podium than on a putting green and will certainly do his best to quash any rumors and put the story to rest by issuing similarly carefully chosen words to discuss his -- and Williams' -- relationship with Mickelson without causing any more of a stir.
Perhaps he will mention the oft-talked about games of pingpong that develop between the two players during the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup each season. Or maybe he will relive with a laugh the gift that the Mickelson family sent his daughter Sam Alexis when she was born -- a mini pingpong table.
Of course, for those conspiracy theorists out there who believe the pingpong and pleasantries are mere facades for the public while Woods and Mickelson secretly burn with hatred for each other, I offer up the following response: So what?
In a time when players in team sports switch rosters so often that the line between rival and teammate is constantly blurred, individual sports allow for a much clearer vision of who is and forever will be on your side and who isn't. Golf is a gentleman's game and as such, many players often form bonds with their brethren, becoming close friends with the very people they are competing against. But there is always an egotistical, self-serving bent to those relationships. Sure, a pro would like nothing more than to see his best friend win a tournament … unless, of course, he could win the tournament himself.
Woods and Mickelson will never be confused with best friends -- their interpersonal gigglefest three years ago notwithstanding -- and that's not such a bad thing for the state of the game. In fact, it could make it all that more entertaining, knowing that each player wants to win a given tournament as much as he wants the other to lose. Such emotion instills passion on the course and ensures there will be greater drama between the players when they next tee it up together.
It's hardly a new concept. Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer were fierce rivals a generation ago and though each concedes that he is good friends with the other, they've still never gotten together for that fishing trip that's been discussed for years. More recently, Padraig Harrington noted that while he may not dislike Sergio Garcia, whom he defeated in last year's British Open and this year's PGA Championship, the two men are "complete opposites" and don't exactly pal around off the course.
Woods and Mickelson may not have a rivalry of the hammer-and-the-nail variety, but it's not far off, either. Though the latter owns 34 career PGA Tour victories and three major championship titles in the Woods era, Tiger has lapped his accomplishments time and again, earning 65 wins and 14 majors in the erstwhile Mickelson era. Even now, the rivalry between the players has lost some luster, as Garcia has usurped Mickelson as the world's No. 2-ranked player behind Woods.
No matter how many times Mickelson gushes over the exploits of Woods, no matter how many times Woods downplays his lack of friendship with Mickelson, there will always be a barrier between them. Williams' latest comments will only help to add fuel to the fire, further confirming how much each one wants to beat the other.
And there's nothing wrong with that. It's a whole lot better than watching them whisper and giggle their way around the course like a couple of BFFs.
posted by tourspingolf at
9:13 AM
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