AUGUSTA, Ga. — Phil Mickelson, man of the people, appears to have become a man of fewer people.
Mickelson built his popularity on daring shots and winning smiles, greeting doting fans with eye contact and vertical thumbs, and that was all it took for him to become famous before he ever won a major.
On Thursday, in the first round of the Masters, he was followed by shockingly few fans, most of whom produced scattered cheers, along with a few unprintable mutters.
