Hollywood Star Reveals Phil Mickelson Took All the Credit After Calling Him ‘Dumb’ During a Round

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 reacting to someone else’s impressive shot came up during a recent interview between comedian Andrew Santino and singer Nick Jonas. Nick was talking about how incredible it was to meet Mickelson and watch him play. That’s when Santino jumped in with his own funny memory of meeting Phil at the 2023 LIV Golf event in Chicago.

He said, “Phil once gave me a tip when I was in a sand trap at Rich Harvest. I asked him for a little advice and he looked at me and said, ‘Well, first of all, you’re set up all wrong—you look dumb.’” Santino laughed, saying everyone around them cracked up at the comment. It was a lighthearted moment that captured Mickelson’s playful, no-filter sense of humor.

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.

Charles Barkley got a good feel for Phil Mickelson’s personality when they teamed up for The Match in 2020 and beat Steph Curry and Peyton Manning. That experience gave Barkley a front-row seat to Mickelson’s unique quirks. In 2021, Barkley spoke about his friend and said, “Phil’s a great friend—I’ve known him and his wife Amy for years—they’re amazing people. But man, Phil can be that friend.”

He joked that if you ask Phil a simple question like, “What’s the weather like?” Phil will launch into a full weather report: “Do you want humidity, barometric pressure, highs, lows?” And Barkley’s like, “No, just tell me the temperature!” It was a funny way of showing how overly detailed Phil can be—even off the golf course.

According to Barkley, Phil does the same thing when giving golf advice. If Barkley asks where to aim a putt, Phil might start breaking down the grain direction, slope, and everything else. But Barkley just wants a straight answer: “Man, just tell me where to hit it—I don’t have time for all that!” So when Mickelson playfully messed with comedian Andrew Santino, Barkley’s stories show that’s just classic Phil—no harm, just part of his personality.