“What inspiring play” – An overjoyed Phil Mickelson heaps praise on the PGA Championship at Oak Hill
The PGA Championship 2023 concluded on Sunday, with Brooks Koepka lifting the Wanamaker trophy. The LIV Golfer stunned many as he held on to the major championship’s lead to finally win it. Following the win, Koepka’s fellow LIV star Phil Mickelson came out to laud him and the major championship held at Oak Hill.
Heaping praises on the event, Mickelson said that the “course, setup, crowds, and volunteers were absolute best.” The LIV golfer dubbed Koepka’s championship-winning play as being “inspiring” as well. The 2021 PGA Championship winner also lauded the breakout star Michael Block for “stealing the hearts of all golf fans” with his major outing. He summarized the week as being “amazing.”
Taking to his official Twitter handle, Phil Mickelson wrote:
“What a PGA championship at Oak Hill. The course, setup, crowds, and volunteers were absolute best. What inspiring play by Brooks to win his 3rd and 5th major. Michael Block stealing the hearts of all golf fans with his performance and mind-blowing hole in one. Amazing week.”
What a PGA championship at Oak Hill. The course,setup,crowds, and volunteers were absolute best. What inspiring play by Brooks to win his 3rd and 5th major. Michael Block stealing the hearts of all golf fans with his performance and mind blowing hole in one. Amazing week.
It is pertinent to note that Mickelson made the comments despite having a forgettable major outing. The ace golfer finished T58, a few positions behind 2021 LIV golf winner Dustin Johnson. It’s safe to say that Mickelson couldn’t replicate his Masters T2 form this weekend.
How did LIV Golfers perform at PGA Championship 2023?
LIV golfers in general had a good weekend at the major. While Brooks Koepka lifted the trophy, fellow Saudi-backed series star Bryson DeChambeau finished T4. Cameron Smith finished T9, Mito Pereira and Patrick Reed finished T18. However, not all Saudi-backed series players had a happy outing.
Harold Varner III finished T29 with +5 at the difficult Oak Hill Country Club's East Course. Thomas Pieters had a similar result, finishing T40 with +6. Dean Burmester ended up solo 54th with +8. He was one spot ahead of Dustin Johnson, who ended up T55. As mentioned above, Phil Mickelson, one of the brighter LIV Golf stars, finished T58 with a +10 at the PGA Championship.
However, the ace golfer wasn’t the worst LIV player on the final leaderboard. Sihwan Kim settled for T62 with a +11, saving Mickelson from the embarrassment. Meanwhile, it is pertinent to note that players like Anirban Lahiri, Martin Kaymer, Joaquin Niemann, Talor Gooch and Abraham Ancer, set the bar the lowest as they failed to even make the 36-hole cut.
With the PGA Championship out of the way, fans will now have to wait till June for the U.S. Open to see LIV golfers at a major championship again.