Rumor has it that Phil Mickelson once taught the most important lesson to the World no. 1 golfer, Jon Rahm. Turn out, not a rumor, after all, the Spaniard’s coach, Dave Phillips, recently revealed this shocking news in an interview with golf.com.
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It is a known fact that Phil’s brother, Tim, coached Rahm when he was an amateur. Notably, after closely watching the game of the Spaniard, Mickelson was more than impressed. In fact, he even made a bet with Colt Knost, saying Jon would be on the Top 10 list of the Official World Golf Ranking in less than a year.
USA Today via Reuters
Aug 27, 2021: Owings Mills, Maryland, USA; Jon Rahm waves to fans after sinking his putt on the first hole during the second round of the BMW Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Scott Tetsch-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
Interestingly, when Mickelson made that bet, Rahm was not even in the Top 300. However, the golf legend proved to be right, as Jon made it all the way to the Top 10 in a year’s time.
However, it was never revealed that Jon considers Phil as a mentor. Recently, in an interview with golf.com, Dave Phillips, Jon’s coach, opened up on the impact Mickelson has had on the World No. 1.
The impact Phil Mickelson had on Jon Rahm!
"The better you get, the more you're asked to manage."
On this week’s episode of "Off Course with @claudeharmonIII," Jon Rahm's coach, Dave Phillips, talks about the impact Phil Mickelson has had on Rahm.
Full episode here: https://t.co/4c1VuDGCwM pic.twitter.com/PNeV0p5xnZ
— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) January 29, 2022
“I think Phil has been a great sounding board for Jon,” said Philips. He explained that Jon got to learn a lot from Phil. Jon knew how to be a good golfer; however, he lacked the social skills that golfers need in today’s day and age. And Phil helped him with that.
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USA Today via Reuters
May 23, 2021; Kiawah Island, South Carolina, USA; Phil Mickelson and caddie Tim Mickelson walks through the crowd of fans on the 18th hole during the final round of the PGA Championship golf tournament. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports/Reuters
The golf legend didn’t give a 101 class on how to be a crowd-pleaser. But, Phil’s mannerism on the course was more than enough for Rahm to learn from. Notably, Mickelson is known to be a crowd-pleaser. In fact, the PGA Tour recently posted a video of Phil’s interaction with the fans as well.
Watch This Story: A Hilarious Tiger Woods-Phil Mickelson Story
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Phillips added, “There’s nobody better with the fans than Phil.” He explained that even after the 51-year-old lost a match, he would still stay with the fans and sign their autographs. The coach genuinely sounded surprised when he said, “I mean, who does that?”
Phil Mickelson certainly is a fan-favorite, and it is his interactions with the fans that make him unique. Hence, safe to say, Jon Rahm chose the right mentor to learn from as there is no one better than Phil at both gameplay and people management.
