I really wasn't jumping up and down to read this book but it was much better than expected. Shipnuck does a nice job painting a clearer picture of a very complicated superstar!

A very fun read.

Seems to tell the balanced truth about Phil Mickelson the golfer. And as much as can be accurately known about the person. An interesting ride!

The end of the book, where Mickelson talks about LIV, got all the attention, but the first 90% is where the good stuff is. Great reporting, great stories. An easy read about a difficult man.

Merged review:

The end of the book, where Mickelson talks about LIV, got all the attention, but the first 90% is where the good stuff is. Great reporting, great stories. An easy read about a difficult man.

Excellent read about a fascinating character in golf. This books offers insight into the golfer's personal and professional world. Mickelson wears his personality on his sleeve. He's colorful, a walking, talking, golf-playing conundrum. This book recaps his career, his personality--and his faults. Excellent book!

Well written and well researched, Phil by Alan Shipnuck is a thoroughly enjoyable biography about one of the greatest golfers in the game, and one of the most complex sports personalities to ever come along.

Without spoiling anything, there is plenty of good, bad, and ugly moments throughout this book. Whether it’s about winning a major, suffering through mad moments on the golf course costing him even more tournaments, to breaking up with his caddie Bones, it’s all laid out here.

I’m just a casual fan of golf, but if you’re even slightly intrigued about Mickelson (or professional golf in general), you’ll love this book.

I don’t normally read Shipnuck because his writing is pedestrian and his favourite word is “I”. It seems like he always wants to insert himself into his stories. I set those reservations aside for this book because I was (past tense) a huge Phil fan. I was looking forward to reading some behind-the-scenes insights and some juicy stories.

What I got was pretty “meh”. About 90% of this book is just a chronological telling of Phil’s career that I could have read on Wikipedia. The juicy stories were few and far between. It seems like the author couldn’t get enough insiders to go on the record (or maybe Phil just doesn’t have a lot of insiders).

I don’t want to sound like I’m damning with faint praise; there’s nothing wrong with the book. It’s just very, very OK and I was hoping for more. It’s also a quick read so I’m glad I bought the Kindle edition because I would have been more disappointed if I had sprung for the full price of the hardcover.