|
When it comes to our families, few of us would put anything else above them. That includes our jobs, at least for most of us.
Then there is Phil Mickelson, the No. 2 player in the world and the No. 1 thorn in the side of PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem. On Tuesday, “Lefty’’ supposedly opted for his family over his job, and immediately there was a firestorm that Mickelson was biting the hand that feeds him by not supporting the fledging Fed-Ex Cup and, ultimately, the all-powerful Finchem.
So what was it that motivated Mickelson to release a statement saying he won’t play in this week’s BMW Championship in Chicago – the third leg of the much-ballyhooed NASCAR-like contest – while he was in the middle of a corporate outing at nearby Medinah Country Club?
It’s hard to figure, especially after Mickelson had just beaten Tiger Woods head-to-head in Boston the day prior to take the lead in the Fed-Ex Cup standings. It makes us wonder: Would Phil have done the same thing had Tiger beaten him instead of visa versa?
Say what you want about the Fed-Ex Cup, it has been controversial. And that, of course, is a good thing as this season-ending competition began with a dead battery after Woods skipped The Barclays Championship. But that was nothing compared to Mickelson, who really got things rolling on Monday by saying he might not play in Chicago because the commissioner hadn’t done him any “favors.’’ (And this was while he still was in the winner’s circle with an NBC microphone in his face.)
“Oh, no, no! I don’t have a problem (with Finchem). It’s just that I’m a little conflicted on some things,’’ Mickelson said later, trying to back off what clearly was a calculated attack.
Apparently, the former Arizona State All-American wanted a little more time off during the past two months – a rigorous stretch that required most players to compete in seven or eight tournaments during a 10-week period that started at the British Open. Supposedly, Phil wanted to take his children to the opening day of school this week in his hometown of San Diego, and so he pulled the plug.
True, there was some speculation that Mickelson also wanted to attend the Chargers’ home opener against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. But chances are the “rest of the story’’ had more to do with Mickelson supposedly wanting to skip Wednesday’s pro-am in Chicago – a Tour requirement in order to compete in any tournament – and Finchem saying, “No.’’
How do the players feel about this? For that, we rely on Arron Oberholser, the Scottsdale pro who tells it like it is.
“I think it’s important to support the tournaments and to support the cause to an extent,’’ Oberholser said. “It’s our livelihood, and these sponsors depend on guys like Tiger and Phil to play in these events because they drive the Tour.
“We’re not kidding ourselves, you know: They (Tiger and Phil) drive the Tour. And when they don’t play, the event is not the same thing, as we saw at Barclays. Even with Phil there, without Tiger, the event wasn’t what it was last week. Last week, it was unreal.’’
So what was Phil’s purpose and why do it now? Only Phil knows that answer, although I don’t think he’s going to get the reaction he so dearly wanted.
First of all, most fathers don’t get to see their kids start school. Shoot, most kids are lucky if their mothers can make such an event. So dad dropping the tykes off at the school’s front door in his Hummer is not exactly a tradition many of us have been able to keep over the years due to a prior commitments called “jobs.’’
It’s also difficult to empathize with Phil’s decision to walk away from a $10 million annuity – the Fed-Ex Cup grand prize -- just to make a moot point. I say moot because the Tour’s schedule has been written in stone for almost a year now. Granted, it is a paltry $500,000 for the next 20 years, and Mickelson said he had hoped for a $10 million stack of cash, like the World Series of Poker. Dang!
Like most of you, I can’t relate to the money these guys make – and pass up. At the same time, you might say “Bravo!’’ for Phil actually having the HX Tours to stand up to the commish, something nobody else but Tiger seems willing to do.
It’s true that Finchem really has no leg to stand on when Mickelson’s “independent contractor’’ status is factored into the equation. But still aren’t these two highly visible guys supposedly on the same page when it comes to the inaugural Fed-Ex Cup? Apparently not.
Make no mistake Finchem will eventually get his retaliatory shot at Mickelson. And payback can be a, well . . . ask Greg Norman.
In the meantime, the Fed-Ex Cup endures a huge pileup thanks to a cat-and-mouse game played by Mickelson and Finchem. It’s a classic case of two drivers turning to the left while simultaneously thinking, “I’m right.’’
|
|
