Phil Mickelson is not Tiger Woods. But thanks to the new interest in golf that was produced due to the accomplishments of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and his not so shabby play have received more notice than perhaps would otherwise have been the case. That would have been too bad, because Mickelson, who shows the on course demeanor of a pleasant, affable competitor is both an outstanding professional golfer with the stats to prove it and an incredible person with a variety of philanthropic ventures that are laudable in their own right. So thanks to Tiger Wood who made us look at golf again and discover what everyone should know about Phil Mickelson.
Mickelson the golfer Phil Mickelson grew up a California kind of guy, but went to college at Arizona State and came to golf as a pro relatively quickly thereafter. What everyone should know about Phil Mickelson is that he became a pro golfer when he was 22 years old and has now been playing on the Pro Tour for 15 years. At 37 he has plenty of rounds left in him but he also has logged in plenty of holes and is a golfer of considerable experience.
Of late he has shown that practice sometimes does almost make perfect. Over the years it is true that he added up some 31 PGA Tour victories, a considerable number. This year, in 2007 he has winnings of more than $4 million placing him #2 on the Tour for winnings. His total career winnings are a whopping $45,000,000.
For sure Mickelson is no flash in the pan. He has been a consistent winner over his years on the tour. Most impressive perhaps is the fact that during the 2004, 2005 and 2006 Mickelson was able to chalk up a victory in one of the Major Tournaments of the PGA Tour demonstrating his consistency at a high level of play. Mickelson’s golfing prowess has brought him the kind of recognition that has allowed him to cash in on his celebrity status, big time. In fact in the Forbes Magazine Celebrity 100 list of money makers, Mickelson was listed as #18, only one rank down from David Letterman. Mickelson’s golf talent has allowed him to register as one of the most powerful celebrity names in business.
Mickelson the philanthropist. What everyone should know about Phil M Mickelson is that he has also converted is celebrity status into some powerful economic assistance for special charitable causes.
Mickelson recently introduced for the PGA Tour a special promotion meant to forward funds to two veterans related charities. This promotion is suitably called “Birdies for the Brave” . Interested fans can pledge to support this charity by agreeing to contribute a set amount of money for each Bridie made in a PGA Tour match or for the full season of matches.
The money received goes to Special Operations Warrior Foundation and/or Homes for Our Troops. The Special Operations Charity was founded a quarter of a century ago and donations that go there help to provide college eduction for children of special operations forces that have been killed in action. The Homes for Our Troops charity was established to lend a hand and funding for new or handicap adapted homes for soldiers with serious disabilities or injuries .
To Learn more about these charities and “Birdies for the Brave” visit www.BirdiesfortheBrave.org .
Mickelson, Supporter of Education As low profile as Mickelson seems to be, even on the golf course, what everyone should know about Phil Mickelson is that he and his wife have a strong interest in American education. With one of his financial supporters, Exxon-Mobil, Mickelson and wife Amy are working to provide innovative programs to improve science and math programs in our elementary schools.
As a result of their efforts, programs are being conducted to help train teachers at the elementary level so that their instructional skills will be enhanced and they can develop motivational teaching techniques that will hopefully raise young students’ interest , The result of more sustained interest is likely to be an improvement in their ability in math and science which will help to prepare them for future careers in those fields. Mickelson and his wife appear on television promotions for this special Partnership with Exxon.
Whenever you watch one of the PGA tournaments and you watch Mickelson make his way from one difficult shot to another, what everyone should know about Phil Mickelson is that what you see is only a small part of what you get, a truly dedicated and caring individual who just happens to be a phenomenal golfer.
