Phil Mickelson is big brother, team leader at Ryder Cup
CHASKA, Minn. — Upon his arrival in South Korea for last year’s Presidents Cup, Phil Mickelson walked into the U.S.A. team room wearing baggy pajama bottoms bearing American flags.
No one batted an eye.
“That’s Phil being Phil,” Jordan Spieth said.
It didn’t take long for Lefty to take over the room as he always does, his barrage of stories, back slapping, needling and counseling a natural extension of the man who loves team competition. He’s a cheerleader with a ping-pong paddle in hand, an adviser and motivator. It’s been that way in every Presidents Cup played (11) and will be so again this week as Mickelson makes his 11th consecutive appearance in the 41st edition of the Ryder Cup.
“He brings an important piece in addition to the playing part,” Rickie Fowler said. “You can go to him for advice, questions, and you get answers. You can look to and trust him and get a confident answer from. And behind closed doors in the team room and locker room he’s just plain fun.”
The five-time major winner is an invaluable intangible off the course when the U.S. plays against foreign adversaries, so much so that Jack Nicklaus said Mickelson was the MVP of the 2003 Presidents Cup team despite going 0-5.
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“I just keep it fun,” Mickelson said. “I keep everybody together. There is no exclusivity. You bring everybody in. Everybody partakes in activities. You share stories and emotions that you just don’t get week to week.”
This year, however, the man who wears many hats has taken on an even bigger role heading into Friday’s opening session at Hazeltine National Golf Club as the U.S. looks to end its misery against Europe, which has won the last three contests and six of the last seven. One could argue that while Davis Love III is the captain of the U.S., this is as much Mickelson’s team, too.
In a remarkable news conference following the 5-point loss to Europe in 2014, Mickelson, stung by his eighth loss in 10 editions of the Ryder Cup, indirectly but pointedly criticized U.S. captain Tom Watson’s handling of the team and its departure from the successful plan put forth in 2008 by Paul Azinger. As captain, Azinger gave ownership to the players and set up the famed pod system.
Later that year, Mickelson was instrumental in the development of the Ryder Cup Task Force, a group of 11 players, captains and PGA of America officials charged with developing a new system in hopes of ending the string of defeats. A plan was created and the task force disbanded, but Mickelson remains on the Ryder Cup Committee that will identify future captains and consultants on all things Ryder Cup.
Just last week he criticized the PGA Tour for the course setup at East Lake Golf Club at The Tour Championship, saying the rough was too high and detrimental to the preparation for players in this week’s Ryder Cup. He called it a “disconnect” between the Tour and the PGA of America, which runs the Ryder Cup.
But Mickelson doesn’t feel he’s put his neck on the line and isn’t feeling heightened pressure to deliver victory this year.
“Well, you don't want to get too tied up in the results, but certainly what we're looking at is, are we able to play our best golf. That's the whole point is to play our best golf. I think that it’s not a fluke that when you have a real team, a partnership, you lift each other up to new highs and we haven't had that type of continuity, support system, game plan, structure, from year to year,” Mickelson said. “It's a great opportunity for us to do something special. We have been given, the first time in 20 years that I've been involved in the Ryder Cup, actual input, actual say, kind of ownership, if you will, of the Ryder Cup. And all the players feel like they're involved and listened to. All the vice captains have great input.
“We’re in a much better place than we have been.”
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So he’ll take his rightful place in the team room and on the golf course, two locales that make Mickelson's spirits soar.
“He’s a big brother,” Matt Kuchar said. “Everybody has such great respect for him. He’s been around, he’s done it. He has so much more experience. He’s a big brother in that he’ll needle you, get you, in so many ways. He can lift you up as a big brother can with encouragement and he can be the big brother who wants to dominate the little brother.”
He’s a smart big brother, too.
“He makes you feel like he’s got it all figured out in the scenarios that are going to take place. He’ll go, ‘Listen, you just do your job and if you go get your points we’ll win the Cup,’” Spieth said. “He’ll throw out percentages, like if you get up in the first 6 holes you’re 66% chance to win the match. That brings a lot of fire and intensity and positivity.
“He’s always positive. He makes you feel good, makes you feel like you’re a great player, makes you feel like you’re on your game if you are or aren’t. And believe me, that kind of stuff goes a long ways.”
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