Phil Mickelson’s goofy and everyman demeanor has long endeared him to fans around the world. On Thursday, he only further made himself relatable by putting out a hilarious ad for performance menswear clothing brand Mizzen+Main.
The makers of Mickelson’s much-discussed button-down golf shirts made a huge marketing splash with the release of a commercial that features Mickelson in one of their trademark shirts dancing and dodging golf balls on a futuristic driving range.
Take a look.
“I was really nervous because I’m not a good dancer,” Mickelson told USA Today’s Steve DiMeglio. “I’ve never been a good dancer. So, I’m very self-conscience about dancing. But sometimes you have to go out of your comfort zone.”
While most of the dancing was outside of his comfort zone, perhaps the most impressive portion of the commercial was Mickelson doing the worm, a dance move that Amy Mickelson, Phil’s wife, suggested.
“They showed some of the videos they had done with Tim Tebow and J.J. Watt and they said, ‘We have this idea about dancing,’” Mickelson said on Thursday afternoon at Firestone Country Club. “Obviously, it’s not the thing I’m most comfortable doing. But then Amy said, ‘You should just tell them that you know how to do the worm.’ So after she said that, it was over, we were doing it.”
Mickelson said that the shoot took about an hour and featured about 15 or 20 takes.
“I think it’s funny,” Mickelson said of the commercial. “It’s a great way for me to laugh at myself.”
Other pros, most of whom were on the course at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational when the commercial was released online, had yet to see it, but Mickelson did get a few ‘atta boys from some of the guys who did catch a glimpse.
“(Pat) Perez was like, ‘Way to put yourself out there, man,’” Mickelson said. “Bubba (Watson and his caddie) were wanting lessons, which is fine. I’ll do a private one.”
