Publishers Weekly
04/18/2022
Sports Illustrated writer Shipnuck (Bud, Sweat, and Tees) delivers a rollicking look at the career of legendary golfer Phil Mickelson, a “subject of much fascination and more than a little scorn.” Drawing on years of insider access, Shipnuck provides readers unfettered access to the larger-than-life sports figure, from his beginnings in the 1980s as a plucky underdog who could never quite win a Major tournament to becoming one of golf’s all-time greats. Moving at a breezy pace, Shipnuck entertains with cryptic stories about Mickelson’s possibly murderous grandfather, from whom Mickelson inherited his “ferocious killer instinct”; recounts the golfer’s decades-long antipathy with his “nemesis” Tiger Woods; and highlights Mickelson’s rise to success, starting with the consequential birdie putt that led to his 2004 Masters win and capping with 2021’s historic PGA Championship, where, at 50 years old, he became the oldest golfer to secure a Major. However, in spite of the “perma-grin and goofy thumbs-up,” Shipnuck lucidly points out that Mickelson’s appearances could be incredibly deceiving, and it’s his particularly eye-opening treatment of the golfer’s less savory side—namely his recent involvement with a Saudi-backed golf league (in one startling conversation with Shipnuck, Mickelson admits “we know they killed... Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights”)—that give this account remarkable depth. Fans shouldn’t miss this. (May)
From the Publisher
Thoroughly engaging.”
—Gene Wang, The Washington Post
“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 fan base 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, Golfweek
“Alan Shipnuck didn’t know his biography of Phil Mickelson would become the most anticipated and newsworthy release of a golf book since his 2011 collaboration with Michael Bamberger, The Swinger, a work of fiction that was a thinly disguised version of Tiger Woods. . . . The big difference is that Phil is true—difficult as it may be to believe some of the exploits, stories, and anecdotes packed into the book. . . . Shipnuck vividly tells the story of a walking, talking, shot-making contradiction.”
—Gary Smits, Florida Times-Union
“Riveting . . . When people get their hands on a book billed as a ‘rip-roaring’ account, they will be buying a rip-roaring good time celebrating and illuminating the (golf) genius Mickelson has long been. . . . The book captures the often perverse ways Mickelson always needs something to play for. Endlessly. Exhaustingly so. And the stories come almost entirely from named sources. The total package that is Shipnuck’s Phil is also combined with plenty of incredible stories of generosity, making for an entertaining read that gives golf fans a much-needed book to talk about.”
—Geoff Shackelford, The Quadrilateral
“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 unauthorized biography. . . . Phil is well researched, bracingly written, and full of previously unreported color; Mickelson emerges as a mercurial and charismatic figure whose record-setting golf game is possibly the least interesting thing about him.”
—James Tarmy, Bloomberg Businessweek
“A robust, comprehensive, bald-faced foray into the gigantic life of a man now living in an oversized kettle of hot water. . . . Shipnuck’s nose for the truth takes the reader into some dark and disconcerting places. He provides frequent and fully anecdoted references to Mickelson’s gambling. . . . He also addresses the minefield of rumors loosely connected to Philly Mick’s personal life, unveiling stories that have circulated for more than two decades. That’s another thing about Shipnuck. He has a big pair, especially for a golf writer. And they’re both made of brass. He also has an appropriate sense of what is journalistically fair, and this book doesn’t come close to crossing the line. . . . The salacious stuff gets most of the attention, but the product in its entirety is engaging, addictive and impressive.”
—John Hawkins, Sports Illustrated
“A thoroughly readable portrait of a man who, for good and ill, shatters every stereotype of golfers as personality-deficient cyphers.”
—Bill Ott, Booklist
“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, New York Times bestselling author of Men in Green and The Second Life of Tiger Woods
“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, New York Times bestselling author of A Course Called America and A Course Called Ireland
“Alan Shipnuck has spent his whole career writing about and thinking about Phil, and that palpable fascination for his subject has fueled 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 #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor (with Hank Haney) of The Big Miss
Fortune Daniel Roberts
A devilishly fun summer read for sports fans, celeb-gawkers, or anyone that just likes a good story . . . If you had any interest at all in the Woods saga as it played out, you’re nearly guaranteed to love this novel.
Florida Times-Union Garry Smits
Will leave you howling . . . Surprisingly poignant . . . Bamberger and Shipnuck’s knowledge of the game gives the book a reality rarely seen in golf fiction outside of Dan Jenkins.”
Golf Channel commentator and #1 New York Times bes Jaime Diaz
Alan Shipnuck has spent his whole career writing about and thinking about Phil, and that palpable fascination for his subject has fueled 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.
Golf Magazine
Praise for The Swinger
“Hilarious . . . A sensational novel of life on Tour.
The New York Times Janet Maslin
A funny, fast-moving book . . . Dead on . . . The authors know their man and know their game.
New York Times bestselling author of A Course Call Tom Coyne
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.
New York Times bestselling author of Michael Bamberger
Advance praise for Phil
“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.”
The New York Times Bill Pennington
An entertaining, revealing, thought-provoking, and cautionary tale...It’s easy to catch yourself wondering: Is this what really happened? No one may ever know exactly what happened to Woods, and the book is fiction—keep repeating that with each turned page—but it provides invaluable insight into the life and times of Woods.
Kirkus Reviews
2022-04-05
A probing biography of the enigmatic golfer.
“[Phil] Mickelson has spent his career charming, and manipulating, the media,” writes veteran Sports Illustrated writer Shipnuck, author of The Battle for Augusta National, near the end of this eye-opening portrait of a superstar athlete who “is many things, but never boring.” In his latest book, the author seeks “to reconcile the multitudes within Mickelson”—extraordinary golfer, smart ass, loving husband, gambler, consummate professional. Shipnuck chronicles his subject’s life and game in great detail, employing excellent insider stories and quotes from a wide range of players. Early on, notes the author, Mickelson honed his short-game skills (arguably the best ever) in his backyard. “This little practice green, built and lovingly maintained by Phil’s dad, is where genius was made, not born,” writes Shipnuck, who touches all the bases when describing Mickelson’s burgeoning career, from qualifying for a PGA tournament during high school to joining Jack Nicklaus as the only other player to win the U.S. Amateur and the NCAA championship in the same year. Mickelson won his first tournament in 1991, as an amateur, and turned pro in 1992, the same year he met his future wife, Amy. As Shipnuck wryly notes, he took special pleasure in the lucrative pre-tournament gambling games and then unleashed his relentless “bomb ’n’ gouge” playing style. The author also digs into the rivalry with Tiger Woods, noting how its “antipathy was born on the playing fields of junior golf.” Shipnuck keeps it lively as he recounts Mickelson’s many wins—including his first Masters in 2004 and a much sought-after British Open, in 2013—and his election to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2011. The author doesn’t shy away from his subject’s dark side, chronicling his nasty breakup with his longtime caddie, Bones Mackay, as well as “very public gambling debts [and] shady Mob-adjacent associates.”
Golf and sports fans will enjoy this feisty, in-depth portrait.
