Phil Mickelson and his habit of hat tipping after a great shot is pretty popular. And hilarious. In 2019, for instance, after sinking a putt at the 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Mickelson’s celebration turned comical when he went to tip his cap to the crowd, only to realize he was wearing a woolly hat instead. Now awkward, he ended up stroking his temple instead. But the point is, Phil Mickelson will always tip his hat after a great shot, even if he didn’t wear one; however, Lefty this time tipped it for someone else apparently.
The story of Phil Mickelson celebrating someone else’s great shot originates from Hollywood actor and comedian Andrew Santino’s recent interview with singer Nick Jonas. After Nick Jonas recounted meeting Mickelson and watching him play, saying it was “unbelievable,” Santino chimed in with a tale from his own encounter with Mickelson at the 2023 LIV Golf Chicago. “He gave me a note one time out of a sand trap in Chicago at, uh, Rich Harvest, and I said, “Hey Lefty, how about giving me a little bit of advice?” And he goes, “Well, you’re set up all wrong. You look dumb.” And everyone started laughing.”
Santino retaliated and replied, “Well, that’s not going to help me hit a better shot.” Then, Mickelson advised him to reset his entire stance, suggesting that he position more weight on his front foot, as it was a downhill lie. Santino did exactly that. But there’s a hilarious twist, as Santino continues, “I fluffed it out to maybe like seven or eight feet, and people clapped. And then he literally turned around and tipped his hat, like I got no credit, you know, like I still had to make the shot, execute. But he was like, “No, no, dummy, that wasn’t you.”
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Andrew Santino has shared this particular moment. In 2024, he recalled the moment during an exclusive and said, “I said, ‘Lefty, you’re not going to give me anything?’” Mickelson suggested some changes and “left myself a six-footer, and I was so happy. He’ll never remember that, but he goes, ‘Good shot.’ I’ll take it.” Certainly, despite Santino making a cool shot, Mickelson takes home the ‘win’ with his iconic hat tip!
However, Mickelson is pretty serious when it comes to his hat – he once used a binder clip to secure his hat during the 2016 British Open, a creative solution to windy conditions. When asked about it, Mickelson responded, “Just to keep it on. I know it looks terrible, but it is what it is. I know.” Well, at least he was as aware of it as his friends are about his personality!
Phil Mickelson “is that annoying friend,” as per his friend
In 2021, Phil Mickelson did something unimaginable: he became the oldest major champion after a thrilling win at the 2021 PGA Championship. At that time, Charles Barkley, an old friend of Mickelson and a former NBA player, said, “I talked to him that night. I was so happy for him. Not only was he 50, he stood up to Brooks. So that was pretty impressive.” Given Charles Barkley’s penchant for celebrating his friend’s wins and records, it’s no surprise there are humorous moments between him and Phil Mickelson — or at least, entertaining retellings of Mickelson’s quirks.
Barkley’s impression of Phil Mickelson came after the two teamed up in 2020 for The Match, where they defeated Steph Curry and Peyton Manning, giving Barkley insight into Mickelson’s quirks. In 2021, when Charles Barkley discussed his friend, he said, “Phil Mickelson is a great friend of mine. I’ve known him a long time, him and Amy. They’re awesome. But Phil is that annoying friend.
” When you ask him a question, instead of answering your question — like, if you say, ‘Hey, what’s the weather like?’ he says, ‘You want the humidity, the barometric pressure, the high and low for the day?’ No, man, I just want the damn weather. Tell me what the temperature is right now.” Hilarious! And tells you plenty about Lefty’s personality off the course.
As per Barkley, although Mickelson’s a great guy, when asked about a putt, he often gives detailed analyses, saying things like, “Well, it’s down-grain, it’s into the grain, it’s going to pull towards the valley.” However, Barkley just wants a simple answer, expressing frustration by saying, “Yo, man, just tell me where to hit the putt. I ain’t got time to be analyzing.” Given these moments, Phil Mickelson pulling Andrew Santino’s leg sounds like a pretty tame exchange!
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