“I’m done taking his sh*t quietly” - Phil Mickelson not holding back against Brandel Chamblee’s verbal attacks at him and LIV Golf
LIV golfer Phil Mickelson and former American professional golfer Brandel Chamblee were recently involved in a heated Twitter exchange. On one side, Chamblee is one of the biggest spokespersons for the PGA Tour. Meanwhile, Mickelson had been a savior of the Saudi-backed league.
Everything started when Chamblee posted a long tweet that, directly or indirectly, targeted the Saudi-funded LIV golf league. Mickelson replied by directly attacking Chamblee. He wrote:
"Brandel sits on his golf channel set tearing everyone apart with no one challenging him. I’m done taking his sh*t quietly. I know it’s stooping to his low level but the 37th personal attack is the last one without responding. Maybe Eamon lynch can come to his defense again."
@GOLF_com Brandel sits on his golf channel set tearing everyone apart with no one challenging him. I’m done taking his $h!t quietly. I know it’s stooping to his low level but the 37th personal attack is the last one without responding. Maybe Eamon lynch can come to his defense again.
How did the Twitter banter between Phil Mickelson and Brandel Chamblee start?
The latest golf Twitter war started when Brandel Chamblee wrote an over 500-word tweet explaining the existence of LIV golf and his opinions about the Saudis. Some of his lines in the tweet could have been considered highly controversial.
Chamblee feels that LIV golf answers any condemnations against it with accusations. Doing so "distracts from having to deal with the complexities of the question." One of his lines from the tweet read:
"Much like sportswashing, its sole goal is to obfuscate."
The farrago of whataboutisms that inevitably accompanies any discussion on sportswashing, attempts, in answering a condemnation with an accusation, to impugn the credibility of the accuser and to distract from having to deal with the complexities of the question. Much like… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
Brandel Chamblee even wrote that Brooks Koepka's 2023 PGA Championship victory was impressive. But according to him:
"It should not distract us from the simple fact that LIV players are being used for the benefit of some very bad people."
Claude Harmon III, a golf instructor and a podcast host, called Chamblee a "paid actor" that hurt his sentiments. Replying to Harmon, the former American golfer, wrote:
"The accusation that I am just a proxy for the opinion of my employer is a curious one to me, and while the natural back and forth with colleagues certainly informs my opinion, no one for whom I work with or for has ever tried to influence what I am going to say."
Replying to Golfweek's tweet (which had a feature story of Chamblee's take on Harmon III's accusations), Phil Mickelson took this as an opportunity to hit back at Chamblee. He wrote:
"Poor Brandel, He can rip apart me and countless others but as soon as someone shows his ignorance he can’t handle it. He’s softer now than he was as a player."
@golfweek Poor Brandel
He can rip apart me and countless others but as soon as someone shows his ignorance he can’t handle it. He’s softer now than he was as a player.
Brandel Chamblee then wrote a separate tweet calling out Phil Mickelson at the 2023 US Open and discussing the merits of playing for the "scary MFers" (what Mickelson labeled the Saudis before joining LIV Golf). The tweet read:
"Phil is welcome to come on the Live From set at the US Open to discuss the merits of playing for scary MFers, as he called them, and the Billy Walters book that comes out August 22… but my guess he’s too soft to come on and debate."
Phil is welcome to come on the Live From set at the US Open to discuss the merits of playing for scary MFers, as he called them, and the Billy Walters book that comes out August 22… but my guess he’s too soft to come on and debate. twitter.com/stevenwb33/sta…
In the end, Phil Mickelson shared a screenshot showcasing that Brandel Chamblee blocked him on Twitter. He wrote:
"Did Brandel say something?"
@NUCLRGOLF Did Brandel say something? https://t.co/q96eNxlkND
The PGA Tour vs. LIV Golf controversy will probably not end anytime soon. Since the first major, LIV golfers showcased their ability to outclass the Tour golfers. Be it the Masters, where Phil Mickelson and Brooks Koepka ended on T2 rank or be it the PGA Championship where Koepka put on a sensational win to capture his third title