By this time, the dust was supposed to have settled on the PGA Tour LIV Golf battle. The two sides agreed to bury the hatchet. Neither PIF nor the PGA Tour would have wanted it to be a trending narrative during the Masters. Yet, that’s exactly how this is going and it just got worse, embroiling Phil Mickelson in the mix.
Augusta National released the pre-tournament interview schedule. Among the former champions, Lefty’s name was a glaring miss. Needless to say, fans weren’t pleased and let out their frustration at the decision.
No Lefty in the Masters presser; Woods gets 1.30 hours?
Augusta National released its press conference schedule ahead of the Masters. 14 players were included in the three-day schedule – five on Monday, including past Masters champion, Hideki Matsuyama, and 10 on Tuesday, including Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Brooks Koepka, and the defending champion, Jon Rahm. On Wednesday Fred Ridley will be the sole golfer speaking to the press.
Woods getting a 90-minute window didn’t sit well with fans. However, there is a possibility that there will be a break post-Woods as it might be the case with Rahm’s media address. Here is the full schedule.
Monday.
2 p.m.: Brian Harman
2:30 p.m.: Jasper Stubbs, Santiago de la Fuente
3 p.m.: Hideki Matsuyama
3:30 p.m.: Xander Schauffele
Tuesday
9:30 a.m.: Viktor Hovland
10 a.m.: Jon Rahm
11 a.m.: Tiger Woods
12:30 p.m.: Rory McIlroy
1 p.m.: Ludvig Åberg
1:30 p.m.: Wyndham Clark
2:30 p.m.: Jordan Spieth
3 p.m.: Scottie Scheffler
3:30 p.m.: Brooks Koepka
Wednesday
11 a.m.: Fred Ridley, Augusta National GC chairman.
The list notably lacks several prominent figures, including former champions and Mickelson’s LIV Golf colleagues such as Bubba Watson, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, and Sergio Garcia, among others. Nevertheless, the absence of Phil Mickelson has garnered the most attention, particularly since he was a co-runner-up in the previous year’s tournament.
It is worth mentioning that Phil Mickelson was also absent from last year’s pre-tournament press conference. The three-time Masters champion, who is known to be a polarizing figure, has refrained from making any comments regarding this situation. Instead, he appears to be concentrating on his preparations for the Masters at Trump Doral. His supporters, however, have expressed their discontent regarding the perceived neglect of one of the most accomplished players in the history of the Masters.
Phil Mickelson fans take matters into their own hands.
In addition to his runner-up finish last year, Mickelson has 15 top-10s from his 30 appearances. He finished outside the top-25 only on nine occasions. Notably, Mickelson is also the most successful lefty at Augusta. Quite naturally, fans didn’t take the snub very kindly. A fan termed it an “absolute disgrace” when Dan Rapaport shared the schedule on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.
Two first-timers, Ludvig Aberg and Wyndham Clark, will sit for the press conference on Tuesday. The rationale behind offering the Swede a spot ahead of Mickelson was lost on many. A fan venting their frustration pointed out, “Oh yeah cause I totally wanna hear ludvig instead of the greatest left-handed golfer to ever walk to earth who finished 2nd last year nbd.”
So, many read the decision as politically motivated. “So @PhilMickelson finished T2 at last years Masters and is a multi time winner of this event…but isn’t included in this schedule? Time for the Majors to put politics aside and give the fans what they want!”, one user pointed out. Mickelson being in the midst of controversy at the Masters isn’t new.
Last year, Mickelson was also left out of the pre-tournament press conference schedule. But later it emerged that Mickelson was offered the opportunity to speak in front of the media at Augusta National, but declined the invitation according to Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner. In 2022, Mickelson sat out the tournament due to a self-imposed hiatus after he apologized for controversial comments he made about the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia.
Now, many LIV golfers not receiving a major spot is already a thorny issue, especially, after Talor Gooch’s controversial asterisk remark. The fact that, with Jon Rahm’s inclusion, LIV Golf has two of the last year’s four major champions, has emboldened many. At the same time, they are also disappointed that Majors haven’t created a direct pathway for other
‘deserving’ LIV Golfers to enter the field.
So, many read the decision as politically motivated. “So @PhilMickelson finished T2 at last years Masters and is a multi time winner of this event…but isn’t included in this schedule? Time for the Majors to put politics aside and give the fans what they want!”, one user pointed out. Mickelson being in the midst of controversy at the Masters isn’t new.
In the previous year, Mickelson was notably absent from the schedule of pre-tournament press conferences. Subsequently, it was revealed that he had been given the chance to address the media at Augusta National but chose to decline the invitation, as reported by Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner. In 2022, Mickelson opted out of the tournament following a self-imposed break after he expressed regret for his controversial remarks regarding the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia.
His absence from the press conference incited frustration among fans, with one remarking, “No Phil.. this is a joke.” It is important to note that no explanations were provided for the exclusion of any players. The press conference also lacked several prominent figures from the Tour, including Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, and Will Zalatoris.
There were speculations regarding whether Woods had any influence in this matter. It was suggested that the 15-time Major champion had previously orchestrated Mickelson’s exclusion from the Open Championship dinner a few years ago. This led some to make subtle criticisms directed at Woods.
The exclusion of Phil Mickelson has further intensified the already charged atmosphere surrounding the Masters. Should the six-time Major winner achieve another unexpected result similar to last year, the reactions from LIV Golf supporters are likely to amplify. Although Mickelson has only secured a single top-10 finish at LIV Golf this year, he managed to impress with a T2 finish at Augusta last year despite an overall disappointing performance with the breakaway tour.