In 2005 it was rumored that Sports Illustrated and another publication were looking into uncovering an explosive story on Phil Mickelson with alleged details about, in no particular order, his illegitimate child with a stripper in Ohio, unconventional marriage, and sizable gambling debts, which Callaway supposedly assumed when he switched to them as his equipment sponsor mid-season in 2004. But, allegedly the story was killed at SI because Ford, one of Phil’s sponsors at the time, threatened to pull advertising if SI ran it. It’s also been thrown out there that a major golf publication squashed the story because the editor and Phil are good friends and promised Phil he wouldn’t publish it no matter how legitimate the sources were.

With all that’s happened in the past month, will the story surface again?

Given the shocking revelations surrounding Tiger’s secret life, the golf media must change its approach to how it handles these sorts of taboo stories. It was the relentless tabloids that broke Tiger’s double life, but how many of these stories were golf writers aware of beforehand? Few, I believe. At the same time, some are probably kicking themselves for not pressing the issue and Tiger for more revealing answers while he sat in front of them for years during his obligatory 10-15 minute press conferences.

The damage done to Tiger’s reputation is unchangeable, but maybe the golf media will be more aggressive when delving through the personal lives of the PGA Tour’s bigger stars, so they won’t be so embarrassingly blindsided the next time a salacious, game-changing story emerges. When there’s truth to be told, it’s part of the job to speak up, especially when it involves big sponsorship dollars. No, it’s not always easy, but it’s the society we live in currently. And no, it’s not about moralizing — rather it’s about rooting out the hypocrisy.

[Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]