"LIV would be perfect for him" - Phil Mickelson says a 'worn-out' Rory McIlroy would be at home at LIV Golf, but no team would take him
Phil Mickelson feels that LIV Golf will be the perfect league for Rory McIlroy to balance his form and fitness.
For Rory, the 2023 season hasn't gone the way he would have wanted it to. He started well with a win in the Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour. However, since then, he has had a poor to mixed season.
Barring a runner-up finish at the Arnold Palmer Championship, there's been no noteworthy performance by Rory this year on the PGA Tour. He also failed to make the cut at the Players Championship and the Masters, two of the biggest events this season.
He is currently at Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio for the Memorial Tournament and is placed T-7 at 4-under after playing 36 holes. Speaking at the post-round interview of the ongoing Memorial Tournament, he reiterated the need for an off-season to recover from mental fatigue.
McIlroy has been an advocate of an off-season on the PGA Tour, and he has raised his concern several times in the past. McIlroy expressed that it was important to have an off-season to sort out the weaknesses and technical problems, which isn't possible during the current scheduling of the season.
Mickelson, who has recently been pretty active on Twitter, had a suggestion for the World No. 3 golfer. He wrote:
"As worn out as Mclroy was after the Masters and his need for an off season, LIV would be perfect for him. Problem is I don’t think there’s a team that wants him on it because they’d have to deal with all his bs."
@mrmckee @SmashGC As worn out as Mclroy was after the Masters and his need for an off season, LIV would be perfect for him. Problem is I don’t think there’s a team that wants him on it because they’d have to deal with all his bs.
Mickelson's comments were obviously sarcastic given McIlroy's stance on the LIV Golf. For the uninitiated, the 34-year-old Holywood native has been the biggest critic of the Saudi-backed league. In fact, he has been the face of the PGA Tour in its fight against the upstart league.
Last year, Rory made it clear that there wouldn't be any negotiations with the Greg Norman-headed league unless he step down from the CEO position.
Phil Mickelson invites Brandel Chamblee for an open debate
After a series of Twitter exchanges throughout the week, Phil Mickelson has invited Brandel Chamblee for an open debate during the LIV Golf London, which is scheduled for the first week of July.
The invitation came after Chamblee claimed that Mickelson had turned down his invitation for a debate during the US Open in August. Chamblee wrote:
"I made overtures to have a debate with him outside of LIVE FROM and he turned it down, because he no doubt knows he’s in the morally indefensible position of speaking and playing for a misogynistic and murderous dictator"
By this type of “journalism” do you mean teasing the truth out of Phil Mickelson’s desultory attempt at turning Khashoggi’s murder and dismemberment into leverage? And btw, I made overtures to have a debate with him outside of LIVE FROM and he turned it down, because he no doubt… twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
The three-time Masters champion denied Chamblee's allegations, claiming that the latter had blocked him on Twitter and both were not on talking terms for a long time.
@NUCLRGOLF I never turned anything down. We’ve not communicated in years. Probably cuz you blocked me 🤭
In the next tweet, the 52-year-old golf veteran invited Chamblee for a debate with Piers Morgan as a mediator.
@NUCLRGOLF How about Monday of LIV London. Maybe with Piers Morgan?
It will be interesting to see if Chamblee will accept the invitation.