Colt Knost
“When I was deciding to turn pro or stay an amateur for the Masters in 2007, Tim, Phil’s brother, who I had gotten to know through amateur golf, said ‘How ’bout I have my brother give you a call?’ Are you kidding me? Of course that would be amazing. Phil was obviously a guy I looked up to a ton and he was a hero of mine growing up. Now, that obviously changed and I was a terrible judge of character back then. … I’m just kidding. He reached out to me and that started a bit of a friendship.
“When I got out on Tour and we started playing practice rounds together, I learned how much of a trash-talker he is. In all the time we’ve played together, we’ve never teamed up in a gambling match, just because we both enjoy needling each other so much. And he’s very good at it. He’s kind of like Tiger – they hold the trump card. We’ve won this many majors and this many tournaments. But that’s easy to throw at me. So I always tell him, ‘Listen, when we’re going to talk trash, there’s none of that. You can’t throw those green jackets at me. Get creative.’ And he did.
“As for his game, there are certain parts of his game that I don’t think anyone could compare to, like his short game around the greens. Actually, from 100 yards in, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anybody better. It’s crazy great. And he’ll tell you how good he is. And that’s one of the things I admire about him – his confidence level. His mind is so good and so impressive. I have never seen him say a bad word about himself.”
Zach Johnson
“There only were a few guys when I came out on Tour where you got caught up watching. The obvious one was you know who (for those of you who don’t, that would be Tiger Woods). Phil was one of the guys. Vijay Singh because he was winning so much. Ernie Els, too. Phil had this aura about him where you were just going to watch. I remember his hands being ridiculous and they still are. I played with him a lot but one that sticks out was when I played with him at Sugarloaf and then he won the Masters the next week (in 2006). I was in the last group on Sunday. I tied for second, was 15 under and I lost by 13 shots to Phil. That says it all. It was one of the most impressive things I’ve seen in golf.
“He just makes me laugh. His humor is obviously sarcastic, but in a healthy way, it’s also self-deprecating, which I like. I’ve always loved playing with him. His rhythm, his cadence, the way he goes about it with his caddie. He’s not slow. He’s not rushed. I love the conversations. They run the gamut of topics. I like how he likes to stir the pot. Makes you think. He’s always positive. And he’s without question a competitor.”
Keegan Bradley
“The first time I met him I was a rookie (in 2011) and we were at Houston and he introduced himself and he watched me hit a few balls and it was pretty thrilling. The big thing he did was during the Players Championship, he asked me and Brendan Steele to play with him on the Monday of Players in 2011. For a guy like him to fly in and play on a Monday, just to get to know us, that was quite a gesture. He was so great to us.
“One of the things I was shocked about when I got on to the Tour was how helpful the older players were. And Phil was at the top of the list. When you’re a rookie and everything is coming at you so fast, and then I had a friend who I could talk to and who was there to genuinely help me. And I’ve become friends with some of my idols. And Phil was an idol of mine growing up and all of a sudden I’m able to play with him, ask him questions about life and golf and endorsements and more. He is so accessible. I still talk to him about everything.
He thinks he’s very funny. What’s great about Phil is he’ll have something planned out. You know he’s been thinking about it for a week. He’s quick to make jokes about himself, too. He can dish it out and he can take it so you don’t have to tiptoe around him.
“Some of my best moments was when I partnered with him Ryder Cup and the Presidents Cup (they were 6-2-1 as partners, including 3-0 in the 2012 RC). That Ryder Cup in 2012 was the most fun I’ve ever had in golf. My memory sort of ends on Saturday because, well, we lost on Sunday. But a cool story about the 2012 Ryder Cup was, earlier in the year, we were playing Doral and he asked me to go to dinner. On the way home he said to me, ‘Just so you know, we’re going to partner up at the Ryder Cup and we’re going to be a tough team.’ I remember looking at him like, ‘What the hell are you talking about?’ I had won the PGA but the Ryder Cup wasn’t on my radar. It was such a jaw-dropping moment in my life because he came to me because he wanted me to play with him. Then I was on the first tee with one of the greatest players ever. I always thank him for that.”
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