(CNN) They call him “Phil the Thrill.” Firstly, it’s a neat rhyme, but mostly because it encapsulates golf’s evergreen entertainer.
Phil Mickelson has been wowing fans with his swashbuckling style and engaging demeanor for nearly 30 years.
The Mickelson thumbs up is a trademark, as is the bashful grin, the looping swing and the black-clad gait of a gunslinger.
Being left handed has always marked him out (particularly as he’s right-handed in everything else), but Mickelson’s all-or-nothing approach and wizardry around the greens would have marked him out anyway.
There’s only one “Lefty.”
When he’s in the right mood, a Mickelson news conference is a feast, crackling and popping with insight and witticisms.
At Augusta last year he was asked to complete this sentence: “Being Masters champion is better than…”
“Well, being a Masters champion is better than not being a Masters champion,” he flashed back with that wide grin before elaborating.
“He’s got box office, always has,” says CNN Living Golf’s presenter Shane O’Donoghue.
