Phil Mickelson Makes Boldest Claim Yet That LIV Golf May Change Its Format
While he has yet to compete for a title in LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson is one of the faces of the league – being the first big-name golfer to join before its first event in June 2022. Since that event in London nearly two years ago, every LIV Golf event has been a three-round, 54-hole affair. That’s one of the alleged reasons that it has been
so difficult for the circuit to attain
Official World Golf Ranking status.
Plenty of golfers, including Jon Rahm, have tossed around the idea of LIV expanding to a traditional four-day, 72-hole tournament to bolster its OWGR case.
After playing 72 holes at Augusta National, where he finished tied for 45th after a runner-up finish last year, Mickelson talked about LIV venturing into the four-round space.
“Every competitive round is an opportunity to play well and compete,” Mickelson said after his final round on Sunday. “I don’t think it makes a difference either way. A lot of guys only play 36 this week. We’ve got mini-tours playing 54, Champions Tour playing 54. I wouldn’t be surprised if some or all of LIV events went to 72. I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter.
Mickelson also discussed the downsides of a 54-hole tournament that he finds enjoyable.
Mickelson explained that performing well on the first day is crucial because falling behind makes it difficult to catch up, as opposed to a 72-hole event where you have more opportunities to gradually improve your standing.
He mentioned that in a 72-hole tournament, there is leeway to recover from a poor start by fighting to maintain a steady score and then making progress.
Mickelson acknowledged that the outcome can vary depending on the format of the competition, highlighting the unique challenges and advantages that each format presents.
The argument against LIV and OWGR status centered on several factors: it did not feature 72 holes, lack a cut, and did not have a feeder system for event qualification. Although LIV events still do not have a cut, they did conduct a Q-school in December to fill remaining slots for their 2024 events.
