Together, Phil And Amy Mickelson Prove To Be The Antithesis Of Tiger Woods At Masters

SB Nation’s Ryan Ballengee reflects on this Masters win for Phil Mickelson, and what it means for Lefty. Specifically, what it showed us about the type of person Mickelson is, as compared to the other great golfer of this era, Tiger Woods:

The fact of the matter is that for nearly a year now, Mickelson and his wife Amy have faced her battle with breast cancer together. She has been engaged in a protracted battle against the disease. There have been complications. Mickelson – typically a pretty open book with the media – has been reluctant to share details, merely saying that he would be skipping the Accenture Match Play in February while his wife was undergoing additional cancer treatment.

What was Tiger Woods doing that week? Commandeering global attention to deliver a thirteen minute apology speech across the country as a cannonball aimed at the sponsor that dropped him for his behavior.

Like it or not, Phil Mickelson was the antithesis of Tiger Woods in this Masters. He brought his family to the tournament – for the first time since last year’s Players Championship. Callaway Golf did not air an exploitative ad about his wife and mother’s illnesses. Mickelson was understated in his approach, but was clearly confident that he could find a way to win his third Masters.

In fact, in some ways, Woods was forced to channel his inner Lefty. He was over-the-top nice to media in his Monday press conference. Woods signed an inordinate number of autographs. There was smiling and goofing around, instead of his usual laserlike focus in practice rounds. And what did Woods get from media (golf and otherwise), the patrons, and PR observers? Praise, surprise, and compliments. Woods earned credit for being like Phil Mickelson.

On a weekly basis, Mickelson critics cannot bear to give him credit for doing the very same things that many of them likely cheered Woods for doing – and at that, just once and in a very transparent fashion. Why didn’t Woods do this sooner, they asked. When it comes to Phil, they ask when he will stop.

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