Are Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods retiring? No, silly. The press is just having a field day with hotshot young PGA golfer Rory McIlroy's recent gaffe. Some remarks he made about Tiger and Phil playing the last holes of their careers were taken out of context. So of course the headlines made it look like he was just calling them really old. At the end of the day though, Mickelson may enjoy hearing news about himself that doesn't include the words FBI, insider trading, or investigation.
After briefly being investigated for possible criminal stock market activity, Mickelson was cleared of suspicion in June (via New York):
"Phil Mickelson, the famed golfer, did not trade in the shares of Clorox just as the billionaire investor Carl C. Icahn was mounting an unsolicited takeover bid for the company in 2011, say four people briefed on the matter."
Now he just has to worry about young golfers gunning for him (via Golf Channel):
"Rory McIlroy created a bit of a stir last week when he said that Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson were playing the 'last few holes' of their careers."
Though his remarks were misconstrued, Tiger Woods reportedly laughed at the statement. He actually thought the hidden truth in what Rory said was worth acknowledging. He even threw Mickelson under the bus:
"'Phil has less holes to play than I do,' Woods said, laughing. 'But it's reality. We're all older.'"
After a frightening absence from golf due to back surgery this spring, Tiger has struggled to reclaim his game. Perhaps, in his wisdom, he is at peace with his diminishing power that inevitably comes with aging.
But don't think for a second that you can count Woods out. Like Michael Jordan in the late nineties, he will just figure out another way to beat you.
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