“No one player should have input on the operations of the tour” – Phil Mickelson on PGA Tour showing favoritism towards Tiger Woods

Phil Mickelson has been at loggerheads with the PGA Tour ever since his defection to LIV Golf. The golfer jumped ship to the Saudi-backed series in June and was suspended by the PGA for the move. The 2021 PGA Tour champion, who reportedly received around $200 million to join LIV, has been fighting the PGA since.

Mickelson’s relationship with the American circuit worsened as he filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Tour. The American golfer, along with fellow LIV golfers, has been on the receiving end of harsh criticism from PGA Tour fans for his move. However, it is noteworthy that this isn’t the first time Mickelson has donned the role of being PGA’s biggest critic.

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Phil Mickelson on PGA Tour's bias towards Tiger Woods

Phil Mickelson has been one of the PGA Tour’s biggest names for the longest time. He recently left the Tour for good. Despite his departure, the American circuit’s fans remember the stories of his public spats with the PGA Tour as it resonates with his current position.

Mickelson has been a critic of the PGA Tour for a long time. He has even accused the American tour of being biased towards his rival and PGA Tour superstar, Tiger Woods. While Mickelson maintained a healthy relationship with Woods, he condemned PGA’s favoritism towards the latter and has openly spoken about the same on occasions.

The ace golfer accused the PGA Tour of having a biased nature during an interview with Golf Digest in 2009. Phil Mickelson was speaking to the media house before the US Open at Bethpage Black when he shed light on Tiger Woods’s influence on the game.

Speaking on the subject, the 6-time Major Championship winner accused the PGA of favoring Woods over players like him.

He said:

“I think the tour talks to Tiger. That’s a critical element, and he should be consulted… But if people assume that, before anything goes down, the tour talks to me about my opinion, that’s not correct.”

Mickelson went on to speak at length about it and said that no player must be given the power to make decisions on golf operations.

He added:

“On the other hand, I believe no one player should have input on the operations of the tour. Why? Because you’re dealing with 200 individuals who are unable to take their personal bias out of the decision-making process.”

The then-PGA Tour star also spoke about a possible solution to resolve the alleged favoritism of the series. Phil Mickelson added that the American circuit must hold more events to give power to the rest of the field.

“The tour should have 20 events where the top guys have to play… As it is now, sponsors are upset because they don’t know who will be in the field, and therefore they don’t know what they’re buying…. Those 20 events would be the four majors, the Players Championship, the World Golf Championship events and 12 others.”

It is pertinent to note that Phil Mickelson will continue with the PGA Tour for years to come after he made the comments. He also climbed ladders to become one of the top names in the series. The golfer shared a healthy rivalry with Woods and faced the latter in a few matches. However, their relationship seems to have gone from bad to worse ever since his defection to LIV Golf.