Who is Phil Mickelson's agent in 2022?
US golfer Phil Mickelson is one of the best golfers in the circuit. He has had an illustrious career winning the US Open, the Masters and several other coveted titles.
In 2022, he defected to the controversial LIV Golf series from the PGA Tour. The switch made headlines, and controversies haven't left him alone since then. Most of his sponsors parted ways with him after he joined the Saudi-backed league.
However, his agent Steve Loy stuck by by him. Loy has been Mickelson's trusted coach, caddy, business partner of close friend for over 25 years now. The partnership has made both men very successful and wealthy.
Loy is SPORTFIVE 's president of golf as well as Lagardere's head of the golf division. He met Mickelson when the latter was in college. Mickelson was attending Arizona State University on a scholarship when Loy also joined the college. Loy recalled their first interaction:
"I walked up to him during a practice round and started to shake his hand. I had the hog on my chest and he looked and said, 'What’s that?' I said, 'It’s a Razorback, and I’m gonna make you a Razorback someday.' And he just kind of shrugged it off and was like, 'Yeah, yeah'."
Their long-lasting friendship began from there, and Loy coached Mickelson to success. Loy said:
"It became a relationship there that has lasted ever after."
It's believed that Mickelson calls Loy 'coach', as he fondly appreciates everything Loy has done for him. He said:
"Coach has been my mentor, my coach, my agent, my partner. Coach has been everything to me. Without him, I probably wouldn’t be who I am today for sure."
Why was Phil Mickelson not at 'The Match'?
Phil Mickelson has been associated with 'The Match' since the inception of the charitable event. However, in the 2022 edition, he was excluded not only from playing but also as an analyst.
This year, the tournament was played in teams. Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy clashed against Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, with the latter emerging victorious.
The obvious question thrown at producers was about Mickelson's absence. But it seems that Mickelson's decision to join the controversial LIV Golf series has cost him an appearance in 'The Match'.
Ahead of the event, one of the executive producers, Bryan Zuriff, had come forward to say that the left-hander would no longer be involved with the made-for-TV competition.
Zuriff, a long-time friend of Phil Mickelson, said that as 'The Match' is a PGA Tour event, Mickelson couldn't be a part of it. For context, the PGA Tour has banned all LIV Golf players from participating in their events.
Zuriff said:
"I love Phil, and he’s been an incredible part of this. But he knows, you know. He went where he went, and we’re connected with the PGA Tour. So I mean, this is a PGA Tour event. Unfortunately, he left the Tour, and that’s unfortunate for doing something like this."
He added:
"I look at The Match as saying ‘we’re doing an event in one day that costs a lot less than what LIV’s spending in a year, and more people watch us than watch them. I think we’re pretty smart in our business plan. … We probably get more media attention for The Match than any golf event other than Augusta."
Zuriff was naturally disheartened that Phil Mickelson couldn't be a part of the event as he clarified his stance on the matter.
"It’s just a bummer because he’s just been a great partner for so long. But that’s a choice that he made. He understands that when you make those choices, certain things get sacrificed. And this is one of the things that got sacrificed."
Phil Mickelson had taken to Twitter to express his gratitude to 'The Match' and wish the players all the best. He wrote:
"I’m proud to have been a part of the creation of The Match. Today will be a fun, funny and insightful version, and I’m wishing Tiger, Rory, JT and Jordan all the best. I’ll be watching it on TNT, and I hope you will too."
I’m proud to have been a part of the creation of The Match. Today will be a fun,funny and insightful version and I’m wishing Tiger,Rory,JT,and Jordan all the best. I’ll be watching it on TNT and I hope you will too.
Certainly, his absence was felt by many.