LIV Golf almost struggled to take off after an alleged comment made by Phil Mickelson made some of golf’s top stars wary of the Saudi-backed tour.
Phil Mickelson nearly sunk LIV Golf before it got going after the six-time major winner allegedly branded Saudi chiefs “scary motherf*s.”
The 53-year-old is one of many top golf stars who jumped ship from the PGA Tour to the Saudi rebels – but he nearly scared some off with his claim when referring to the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018, and the kingdom’s treatment of the LGBT community.
“Scary motherf*s,” was Mickelson ‘s reported assessment of the Saudi chiefs. However, he has since claimed that he ‘never did’ the interview with his biographer Alan Shipnuck which caused panic.
“So I will reiterate, I never did an interview with Alan Shipnuck,” the American said. “And I find that my experience with everybody associated with LIV Golf has been nothing but incredibly positive and I have the utmost respect for everybody that I’ve been involved with.”
Despite being one of the first big names to make the move to LIV Golf and not look back, Mickelson hasn’t managed to win on the new Tour yet. His HyFlyers missed out on the team title after finishing third in Adelaide, finishing five shots behind the leading two teams.
Mickelson’s teammate Brendan Steele did land his first LIV win by clinching the individual title in Adelaide, though, in a major boost to HyFlyers. The American held a one-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final 18 holes, before paying tribute to team captain Mickelson.
“Yeah, I lean on Phil pretty hard with everything,” Steele said. “With how to hit shots around the green, how to approach things. He’s one of the best players ever, and he can give me advice. If he’s going to give me advice, I’m going to take it. I definitely want to listen to him, and he’s helped me a ton with everything from wedge play, short game, mental game. Just instilling confidence in myself, and he’s a big reason I’m sitting up here.”
There is still the possibility of a merger between the PGA, LIV Golf, and DP World Tour, which would bring an end to years of conflict following the breakaway of the tour that caused a stir in the sport.
Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, who are loyal to the PGA, have not agreed on LIV Golf, but they appear to share the same opinion on its impact.
“I understand that this may not be the ultimate indicator, but the TV ratings for the PGA Tour have decreased by 20 percent overall this year,” he mentioned. “It’s a significant drop, representing one-fifth of the viewership.
The numbers for LIV don’t seem to be impressive either in terms of audience engagement. I believe that due to the controversies and conflicts in recent years, viewers are becoming increasingly disinterested and as a result, losing interest in men’s professional golf, which is concerning for everyone involved.”
It will be fascinating to observe how the four major golf championships, or perhaps just the three excluding Augusta, perform as they almost exist in a separate category.
The comparison between the success of major championships and other major events will be intriguing, especially if the numbers demonstrate higher viewership when all top players are participating.
This may suggest a need to restore overall quality and importance of these championships.”
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