AKRON, Ohio -- Understandably, there was quite a bit of reaction to Phil Mickelson's commercial that first ran Thursday in which he dances while promoting a long-sleeved shirt.
Predictably, he was prepared for it, taking a self-deprecating approach, and he was fine with any grief.
"I'll do private [lessons] for the right price," he quipped.
Mickelson, 48, who began wearing the long-sleeved shirts made by Mizzen+Main at the Players Championship in May, signed an endorsement deal with the company. He, somewhat awkwardly, dances in the commercial.
"Obviously, it's not the thing I'm most comfortable doing," Mickelson said after shooting 66 in the opening round of the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational. "But then Amy [Mickelson's wife] said, 'You should just tell them that you know how to do The Worm.' After she said that, it was over, we were doing it.
"I think it's fun to laugh at yourself, and certainly that's what I'm doing in this commercial because it was a lot of work just to get those moves out of me."
Mickelson said he caught some grief from players Bubba Watson and Pat Perez, and said he expected more. He shot the commercial a month ago at a studio near his San Diego home and said it took about an hour, with somewhere between 15 and 20 takes necessary.
Mickelson has had an interesting few months. He was involved in a controversial rules issue at the U.S. Open where he purposely hit a moving golf ball on a green during the third round; he announced a proposed $10 million match with Tiger Woods that has yet to be finalized; and he had another rules issue at the Greenbrier.
All the while, his game has not been in top form. Since winning the Mexico Championship in March, he has had only one top-10 finish.
"I have a real strong motivation right now. We have two more weeks [of qualifying]; I want to get on that Ryder Cup team without having to be a pick," said Mickelson, who is 10th in the points -- with the top eight after next week's PGA Championship automatically making the team.
"It's been 11 times now [of being on the U.S. Ryder Cup team] without being a pick; I don't want to be a pick now. I want to get on that team here in these two weeks, so I'm really motivated to bring out my best."