"I’m really excited": Brendan Steele on joining Phil Mickelson's Hy Flyers team in LIV Golf
US golfer Brendan Steele recently shocked the world after his unexpected decision to join the controversial LIV Golf series leaving the PGA Tour.
He has joined the Hy Flyers team which is led by fellow US golfer Phil Mickelson. Brendan Steele had played practice rounds with Mickelson back in 2011 in his rookie year on the PGA Tour.
Their relationship continued with multiple practice rounds in the future along with some gambling. Their homes are in South Carolina as well. So, in a sense, the two golfers have reunited as they will now play on the same team.
Brendan Steele said:
"I was playing with Phil at home all the time. And Phil had talked about it and talked about it, that this was going to be great. And I told him if there was ever a place for me to let me know."
According to Sports Illustrated, Steele further added:
"They were trying to sort out the teams and how it was going to move forward. I was just keeping my head down and then recently it just changed where I had an opportunity to come and join this team, and it's a perfect fit. So I’m really excited."
The 39-year-old thinks Phil Mickelson has been a good help throughout his career.
"He's won so much but he’s had heartbreak, too, right? We all do in this sport. But Phil knows all about both and he's really helped me. Taught me a lot of lessons. And I’m looking forward to learning more from him."
Steele's close friends Cameron Tringale and James Piot completed the Hy Flyers team in the second edition of the LIV Golf series.
"The schedule is super alluring to me" - Brendan Steele
For many players who defected to LIV Golf from the PGA Tour, the schedule of the Saudi-backed league was a flattering point for them. The league has 14 events in the second season which is far less hectic than the PGA Tour calendar.
Brendan Steele reiterated these thoughts.
"The schedule is super alluring to me. I've got a 5-year-old daughter. She hates when I leave and I hate to leave her and knowing when I am going to play means I don’t have to keep throwing curveballs at my wife."
He further opened up about how it becomes difficult to handle a household considering the strenuous and time-consuming schedules that professional golfers have.
"It’s been, 'If I play well here, I'm going to get into this,' and then 'what are we going to do about the summer?' because we'd need to sign our daughter up for summer school or activities. And I'd not be able to tell her. If you’re in The Open, you do this.
"Or you might have to take three weeks off there. So she’s been dealing with my schedule for 18 years as a pro and it basically became 'I don’t care where you’re playing as long as I know when you're going to be home'."
The only drawback for Brendan Steele was losing his dynamic with Keegan Bradley. The two would spend a lot of time together, resulting in Steele missing his best friend.
"I had dinner with Keegan last week and it was kind of our last supper is what we're calling it. Because I do everything with him. So I'm bummed to leave him behind. And he's doing great out there (on the PGA Tour). There was no way he was coming and it was just a little bit of a fork in our friendship and our relationship. That’s definitely a bummer for me."
Well, it will be interesting to see Steele in the second edition of LIV Golf which begins next week in Mexico.