Phil always had to be different

He’s always been the one who had to be different. Sometimes for the better. Often for the bizarre. Have his caddy pull the flag on a shot 70 yards from the cup? Blame the captain of a losing Ryder Cup team of which he was a member? Intentionally hit a moving ball while the world watched during the 2018 U.S. Open? That was Phil Mickelson.

He pushed the envelope and pulled our chains. Indeed, the way he belittled Tom Watson for what Phil contended was mishandling the preparations for the American team in the 2014 Ryder Cup was awkward and embarrassing.

The other incidents, the flagstick at Torrey Pines, knowingly violating the rules of golf by smacking a ball that was in motion during the 2018 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills, were goofy. As people said, “Phil being Phil.”

What’s happening inside the heads of these great sporting stars? Novak Djokovic, No. 1 in the world tennis rankings, refuses to accept the mandatory Covid-19 vaccination, is thrown out of the country before the start of the Australian Open and also may be banned from the French Open and Wimbledon.

Mickelson had this hare-brained idea he could revise golf by persuading the big boys to abandon the Tour and play in Saudi Arabia for huge sums of money. The players and, not surprisingly, Tour executives were not thrilled. Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson were outspoken in favor of the status quo.

That Mickelson felt compelled to apologize perhaps was as much a result of capitalism as contrition. If you thought the general public was, say, disturbed by Phil’s plans, how do you think his sponsors, the firms that sell their services and products to that general public, feel?

The golf stars earn several million a year alone for what is on the front of their hat, the most visible article of attire any pro wears and a reason that even after a round, and particularly during interviews, it never is removed. For years, Mickelson’s hat — or visor — displayed “KPMG,” the international consulting and accounting group..

KPMG announced Tuesday that it ended its relationship with Mickelson, a deal that that began in 2008. Although the release said the two sides had “mutually agreed” to end the partnership, it was clearly a reaction to eroding support for Mickelson

“The Tour likes to pretend it’s a democracy, but it’s really a dictatorship,” Mickelson told author Alan Shipnuck. “They divide and conquer. The concerns of the top players are very different from the guys who are lower down on the money list, but there’s a lot more of them. They use the top guys to make their own situation better, but the top guys don’t have a say.”

Mickelson said the conversations with Shipnuck, a former Sports Illustrated staffer, were off the record, but Shipnuck said that was not true.

Where Phil goes from here is a question, not that having earned some $800 million in a career that included six majors he needs to go anywhere. If and when he returns to golf — a PGA Tour suspension is unlikely — Mickelson could be an outcast, but that’s improbable.

He always was the guy talking to the gallery, signing autographs. Besides, sports fans are notably forgiving. As Jaime Diaz pointed out on the Golf Channel, it didn’t take long for Tiger Woods to regain his status after his escapades. Phil didn’t try to overthrow the government, just change golf the wrong way.

"Although it doesn't look this way now given my recent comments,” wrote Mickelson, either on his own or after persuasion, “my actions throughout this process have always been with the best interests of golf, my peers, sponsors and fans. There is the problem of off-the-record comments being shared out of context and without my consent, but the bigger issue is that I used words that do not reflect my true feelings or intentions.

"It was reckless, I offended people, and I am deeply sorry for my choice of words. I'm beyond disappointed and will make every effort to self-reflect and learn from this."