Phil Mickelson has accepted that LIV Golf’s emergence has created a new ‘disruption phase’ in professional golf, but remains confident the Saudi-backed league will be the future of the sport.
Golf’s bitter civil war over the last few years has dragged on to the point where players from both sides are pleading for a breakthrough
The situation has seemingly worn down the likes of Rory McIlroy, who was previously staunchly against the idea of LIV players returning to the PGA.
Fans also appear to have had enough of the ongoing split in professional golf with PGA viewing figures drastically down Stateside.
Rory McIlroy feels the current situation professional golf finds itself in is ‘unsustainable’.
“I know this isn’t a be-all, end-all, but if you look at the TV ratings of the PGA Tour this year, they’re down 20 percent across the board,” he said.
“That’s a fifth. That’s big. I would say the numbers on LIV aren’t great either in terms of the people tuning in.
“I just think with the fighting and everything that’s went on over the past couple years, people are just getting really fatigued of it and it’s turning people off men’s professional golf, and that’s not a good thing for anyone.
“It will be really interesting to see how the major championship numbers fare compared to the other bigger events because there’s an argument to be made if the numbers are better and you’ve got all the best players in the world playing, then there’s an argument to say ‘OK, we need to get this thing back together’.”
Mickelson played a huge role in the emergence of LIV as the first major golfer to make the move away from the PGA.
He’s faced heavy criticism for his role within LIV and the stance he’s taken against his former tour.
The six-time major winner remains confident that LIV is helping professional golf get to a point where it can be a better product for viewers in the end.
He said: “I think in the end, we are in a transitional state where we now have competition and that’s leading to a lot of disruption and change but it’s also in the end product going to make golf more global where the best players travel more
“I don’t know how it’s going to end out, exactly, or what it’s going to look like.
“I’m putting my trust in Yasir and where the game is headed more globally. But at some point when it gets ironed out, I think it’s going to be in a much better place where we bring the best players from the world, and it’s going to open up more opportunities for manufacturing, course design, for players in different parts of the world to be inspired and enter the game. I think it’s going to be in a much better place.
“But right now, we are in the disruption phase, so we are in the middle of the process, and when it’s all said and done, it’s going to be a lot brighter.
He added: “So I knew the first two years were going to be interesting.
“And how it all plays out, where it ends up, I don’t know exactly. I just know that in the end, it’s going to be a more global sport and there’s going to be more opportunities.”
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