“We didn't have elevated events” - Phil Mickelson slams PGA Tour again while lauding LIV Golf’s ‘incredible strides’
Phil Mickelson shocked the golf world on Wednesday by hinting that his pro career might be coming to end. The ace golfer, who won the PGA Championship 2021 at age 50, said the upcoming US Open might be his last major championship. However, it doesn’t seem to hold him back from his attack on PGA Tour.
The 54-year-old, leading LIV Golf’s HyFlyers squad, took a jibe at his former tour yet again while lauding the Saudi-backed circuit’s growth. Speaking ahead of LIV Virginia, the six-time major winner said “the model that I was a part of for decades” didn’t allow ‘the best players in the world to compete against each other.’ He further noted that lack of ‘elevated events’ before LIV Golf.
The vocal poster boy of LIV golf reiterated that PGA Tour players only came together for the major championships. Commenting on the PIF-run circuit’s aim and journey, the three-time Masters champion said that the breakaway tour made some “incredible strides” since its inception. However, he admitted being unsure of the “exact timeline” it will reach its full potential.
Replying to a media query about LIV Golf and PGA Tour’s running, Phil Mickelson said, as quoted by ASAP Sports:
“I think that LIV has made some incredible strides of getting to where we want this to be. It will get there. I don't know the exact timeline… We want all the best players in the world to be able to compete against each other more often and on a global scale, and the model (PGA Tour) that I was a part of for decades just didn't allow for that.
"We never played against each other. We didn't have elevated events. We never played all of us against each other outside of the majors. It was not able to move internationally. When they did have tournaments and WGCs internationally, a lot of players didn't play. That's disappointing from a sponsor standpoint, from a fan standpoint. … The model that is on LIV is what is needed to be successful.”
Phil Mickelson referenced Rory McIlroy’s controversial exit from last week’s Memorial Tournament as an example. He said that “players will do what's good for them and not necessarily play unless they are contractually obligated” like NFL and baseball players.
Phil Mickelson lauds LIV Golf’s pull of young players
Having took a jibe at PGA Tour’s model, Phil Mickelson went on to laud LIV Golf’s ‘growing the game’ concept. He said the Saudi-backed circuit’s model allows it to “move throughout the world” and make golf a “global sport.” He said that the inclusion of events across the globe ‘allow countries’ fans to see the ‘best players in the world’ compete against each other.
Furthermore, Mickelson also lauded LIV Golf’s ability to pull the interest of young players across the globe. He named young golfers like Luis Masaveu, Tom McKibbin and LIV’s latest signing, Josele Ballester while making his point. He said that the controversial tour, which is now three years old, is “not that far away from having it be what we all want it to be.”
Phil Mickelson added:
“I think that we’re well on our way and not that far away from making that happen, and you're seeing it with these good young players that are coming out. If you look at the good young players from different parts of the world, not necessarily the United States, you've got Josele Ballester and Luis Masaveu and Tom McKibbin and these young guys from other parts of the world are really interested in wanting to come to LIV and they get what it's about.”
Phil Mickelson’s comments come just hours after Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC announced the onboarding of Ballester. The Spaniard-led side completed LIV’s first-ever mid-season transfer after dropping Masaveu from its roster to sign the young golfer who infamously relieved himself into Rae’s Creek at the Masters. It's pertinent to note that the 21-year-old rejected a Korn Ferry Tour membership that could’ve paved a pathway to the PGA Tour.