“I care about where the game is going” - Phil Mickelson talks about his love for Golf and the sport’s fans
LIV Golf has often claimed to be about changing the game of golf, and Phil Mickelson believes that. It's one of his own cited reasons for defecting and joining up a couple of years ago. They've radically changed things, from shortening the tournaments to allowing shorts on the course, and all of it has been for the fans, according to "Lefty."
Mickelson was on the Pat McAfee show, and the host asked him about the sport and the changes it's undergone:
"With change, there's going to be disruption. This is my life's work, I love golf and I've been playing my whole life. I dreamt as a kid about playing professional golf, so this is my passion, what I love the most. I care about where the game is going."
He went on to discuss the changes the sport has undergone and what they are aiming to do. First and foremost, LIV has set out to lower the average age of their fans:
"LIV is starting to bring in a younger audience by presenting the game of golf in a different way. There are other aspects about golf that are difficult that we're trying to solve. The golf fan is the most loyal fan in all of sports."
Mickelson also mentioned that they're attempting to make the game more accessible for fans. By limiting the length of the game and putting a "shotgun start", fans can see all the top players where that was more difficult on the PGA Tour.
Phil Mickelson lauds PGA players for LIV praise
After Jon Rahm signed over to LIV Golf, the PGA Tour had a reckoning. Many of its brightest stars finally admitted that they had to contend with the rebel tour and that it was there to stay. Chief among them was one golfer who'd been particularly vocal in his disdain for LIV prior.
Rory McIlroy said that LIV was fine and that it forced the game to change for the better, and walked back on a lot of previous statements. During the same show, Mickelson had this to say in direct response to what the Northern Irishman said:
"This quote and the many others made today by Rory probably weren’t easy to say. Let’s not use this as an opportunity to pile on. Rather, It’s time for me and others to let go of our hostilities and work towards a positive future.
"Rahms’ signing is turning into a bridge to bring both sides together, as evidenced by the many comments today and a month ago about changing the rules for the Ryder Cup so Jon and others can play, so let’s use it as such. Until an agreement is reached, it will be business as usual for both sides but hopefully without the needless disdain."
McIlroy had even gone on record saying he wanted LIV to dissolve, so this about-face was a stark contrast to that. Mickelson, long one of LIV's biggest and loudest supporters, was happy to see it and urged fans not to pile on to PGA stars who'd backtracked.