Six-time major winner Phil Mickelson said he is optimistic about where the game of professional golf is headed in response to the stunning PGA Tour-PIF/LIV Golf arrangement on June 6.
“I would say I felt appreciation that we got to this point where we’re working together because it makes me confident with where the game of golf is headed in the future,” Mickelson said. “We felt like it was going to be about two years roughly before we got to that point. It took a year and a half or six months quicker than I thought it would be.”
Making his first public comments since the news of the groundbreaking deal, Mickelson added on Wednesday that the changes made on both tours because of LIV Golf has left players appreciative. He was speaking at a news conference ahead of a LIV Golf tournament in Andalucia, Spain.
“Going forward, we’re all very optimistic about where the game of golf, professional golf specifically, is headed,” Mickelson said. “Also, a lot of the changes that have been made because of LIV were all very [appreciated], both on the LIV Tour as well as the PGA Tour, and we’re happy for the guys out there that they’re having some positive changes there, as well.”
Phil Mickelson and his caddie Tim Mickelson wait to tee off on the fourth tee during the second round of the 2023 PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club on May 19, 2023 in Rochester, New York. (Photo by Warren Little/Getty Images)
His comments on Wednesday were his most detailed regarding the PGA-PIF deal. He tweeted “Awesome day today 😊” when the news first became public.
Mickelson did not speak with reporters at the U.S. Open in Los Angeles earlier this month. A heckler loudly berated Mickelson two days in a row at the tournament, including on Mickelson’s birthday. The heckler reportedly referred to the $200 million deal Mickelson signed to join LIV Golf. Mickelson missed the U.S. Open cut after shooting 4-over 74.
Mickelson has been in the thick of the LIV Golf scandal from the beginning.
He caught fire for comments he made in February 2022 regarding LIV. He called the Saudis “scary” and decided to look past their human rights violations because “this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.” He issued an apology days later for the comments.
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