{"title":"Books by Alan Shipnuck","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781398530461","title":"LIV and Let Die","description":"\u003cb\u003e'Shipnuck cuts to the intrigue of an acrimonious story that still twists and turns with snake-like flexibility' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e–​ The Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A terrific read' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e– Sports Illustrated\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAlan Shipnuck, the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003ePhil\u003c\/i\u003e, returns with a major new work of insider reporting on the battle for the soul of professional golf between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e Over the past two years, professional golf has been at war, and Alan Shipnuck is our most trusted correspondent. Following closely on the heels of his \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling sensation, \u003ci\u003ePhil\u003c\/i\u003e, Shipnuck turns to LIV Golf’s controversial – and belligerent – storming of the professional golf world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In \u003ci\u003eLIV and Let Die\u003c\/i\u003e, Shipnuck delivers the inside story in real time, with fly-on-the-wall reporting from the yachts where LIV was hatched and within the corridors of power as the PGA Tour flailed to fend off the threat. Shipnuck has travelled seamlessly between both tours – having countless conversations with players, caddies, CEOs, agents, financiers, lawyers, flaks, fans, and Instagramming wives – to deliver a no-holds-barred account of the most chaotic moment in golf history. Anyone who has a stake in professional golf lined up for an interview with Shipnuck – because they knew everyone else was talking to him, too.The disruption to an old, proud sport was largely conducted in the shadows, but \u003ci\u003eLIV and Let Die \u003c\/i\u003edelivers numerous revelations about what really happened, and why. It also provides the previously unknown background and crucial context to understand the armistice between the tours that shocked the world in June 2023.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Long known as the most fearless writer on the golf beat, Shipnuck has delivered another hotly anticipated book packed with juicy nuggets and in-the-room-where-it-happened action... think Bob Woodward moonlighting on the sports desk. \u003ci\u003eLIV and Let Die \u003c\/i\u003eis the definitive account of the biggest (non-Tiger) golf story this century and a lively page-turner that in places reads like a spy thriller.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57685685993845,"sku":"9781398530492","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56298059628917,"sku":"9781398530461","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398530492.jpg?v=1792598833"},{"product_id":"9781398521780","title":"Phil","description":"\u003cb\u003eWINNER OF THE FRANCIS CLARK FINANCIAL PLANNING INTERNATIONAL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR PRIZE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Terrific fun' David Walsh, \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e   * *   'Thoroughly engaging' \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A frank and revealing biography of legendary golf champion Phil Mickelson - who has led a big, controversial life - as reported by longtime \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e writer and bestselling author Alan Shipnuck.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Phil Mickelson is one of the most compelling figures in sports. For more than three decades he has been among the best golfers in the world, and his unmatched longevity was exemplified at the 2021 PGA Championship, when Mickelson, on the cusp of turning fifty-one, became the oldest player in history to win a major championship. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In this raw and unauthorised biog­raphy, Shipnuck captures a singular life defined by thrilling victories, crushing defeats and countless controversies. Mickelson is a multi-faceted character, and all his warring impulses are on display in these pages: he is a smart-ass who built an empire on being the consummate professional; a loving husband dogged by salacious rumours; a high-stakes gambler who knows the house always wins but can’t tear himself away.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Mickelson’s career and public image have been defined by the contrast with his lifelong rival, Tiger Woods. Where Woods is robotic and reticent, Mickelson is affable and extroverted, an incorrigible showman. In their early years together on Tour, Mickelson lacked Tiger’s laser focus and discipline, yet as Tiger’s career has been curtailed by scandal, addiction and a broken body, Phil sails on, still relevant on the golf course and in the marketplace.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePhil \u003c\/i\u003eis the perfect marriage of subject and author. Shipnuck delivers numerous revelations, from the true scale of Mickelson’s massive gambling losses to the secretive backstory of the Saudi golf league that Mickelson championed. But \u003ci\u003ePhil \u003c\/i\u003ealso celebrates Mickelson’s random acts of kindness and generosity of spirit, to which friends and strangers alike can attest. Shipnuck has covered Mickelson for his entire career, allowing him to take readers inside the ropes with a thrilling immediacy and intimacy. \u003cb\u003eThe result is the juiciest and liveliest golf book in years - full of heart, humour and unexpected turns.\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":56298131423605,"sku":"9781398521780","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":57685672493429,"sku":"9781398521742","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398521780.jpg?v=1792598814"},{"product_id":"9781398552593","title":"Rory","description":"A major new biography from Alan Shipnuck – the author of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller \u003ci\u003ePhil \u003c\/i\u003e– that chronicles the tumultuous life of legendary golfer Rory McIlroy, one of only six male golfers in history to achieve the modern career grand slam, perfectly timed to the 2026 Masters at which McIlroy will defend his title.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56368767205749,"sku":"9781398552593","price":25.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57682831180149,"sku":"9781398552630","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781398552593_da0682ef-fe21-480f-a3d8-a599fad899e5.jpg?v=1792511706"},{"product_id":"liv-and-let-die","title":"LIV and Let Die","description":"\u003cb\u003e“A terrific history…gossipy as hell…the writing is classic Shipnuck…he will never bore you.” —\u003ci\u003eGolf Digest\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003ePhil\u003c\/i\u003e and “master of both the art and science of sports journalism” (\u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e), delves into the heart of the golf industry controversy—the battle for the soul of professional golf between the PGA Tour and the Saudi-funded LIV Golf League—in “his best book yet” (\u003ci\u003eGolfweek\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn recent years, professional golf has been at war, and Alan Shipnuck has been our most trusted correspondent on the front lines. Now, Shipnuck turns to the conflict that made Phil Mickelson, and many other top golfers, villainous in the eyes of the public: LIV Golf’s disruptive—and belligerent—storming of the professional golf world. (LIV’s unofficial motto, immortalized on hats gifted at a staff party: “Fuck ’Em All.”)\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn \u003ci\u003eLIV and Let Die\u003c\/i\u003e, Shipnuck delivers fly-on-the-wall reporting from the yachts where LIV was hatched and within the corridors of power as the PGA Tour flailed to fend off the threat. Shipnuck has traveled seamlessly between both tours—having countless conversations with players, caddies, CEOs, agents, financiers, lawyers, flaks, fans, and Instagramming wives—to deliver a no-holds-barred account of the most chaotic moment in golf history. Anyone who had a stake in professional golf lined up for an interview with Shipnuck—because they knew everyone else was talking to him, too. The disruption to an old, proud sport was largely conducted in the shadows, but \u003ci\u003eLIV and Let Die \u003c\/i\u003edelivers numerous revelations about what really happened, and why.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eShipnuck’s unparalleled access and award-winning reporting chops provide rich portraits of the brand names at the center of this sprawling tableau: Greg Norman, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Jay Monahan, His Excellency Yasir Al-Rumayyan, Donald Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Dustin (and Paulina!) Johnson, Pat (and Ashley!) Perez, Patrick (and Justine!) Reed, Bryson DeChambeau, Jimmy Dunne, and many more.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eBankrolled by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf has upended the men’s professional game with vast riches—blatant “sportswashing,” from the mouth of Mickelson himself. The bitter feuding (and trolling) between the PGA loyalists and the LIV camp made the battle between the tours deeply personal—but for the top leaders of the two tours it was strictly business, and in a series of secret meetings they reshaped the future of the sport. \u003ci\u003eLIV and Let Die \u003c\/i\u003eprovides the previously unknown background and crucial context to understand what happened between the tours that shocked the world in June 2023.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eLong known as the most fearless writer on the golf beat, Shipnuck has delivered the definitive account of the biggest (non-Tiger) golf story this century and a lively page-turner that in places reads like a spy thriller.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57507643916661,"sku":"9781668020029","price":20.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781668020029.jpg?v=1787042652"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-alan-shipnuck.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}