Phil Mickelson credits LIV for forcing change in golf, questions need for PGA Tour merger -“Until LIV happened, none of that was going to happen”

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Phil Mickelson credits LIV for forcing change in golf (PC: IMAGN)
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Six-time Major champion Phil Mickelson recently expressed his opinion on the potential merger between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour. He further credited LIV Golf for bringing change in the sport of golf.

The LIV Golfer, who was one of the notable players to initially sign for the Saudi breakaway tour, was asked by Bloomberg’s Haslinda Amin if the PGA Tour and LIV Golf merger would help golf. Mickelson said (via Golf.com):

“I don’t know if it’s necessary. I know that a few years ago, it was not an option to have elevated events. It was not an option for players to have equity. And it wasn’t an option for players to transcend social media markets and create YouTube channels and have their own social media posts the way Bryson has done.”
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He further lauded 2024 US Open champion Bryson DeChambeau for attracting more people and bringing a cool vibe to the game.

“And the way Bryson has brought golf and this cool, hip vibe to so many people on YouTube. That wasn’t an option. So until LIV happened, none of that was going to happen. Now because of LIV, those are all happening,” Phil Mickelson added.
As per Forbes, Phil Mickelson joined LIV Golf in a $200 million deal. The HyFlyers FC star accepted the potential benefits of the merger between the two Tours but argued that the sport was benefitting because of the competition. He said the merger between PGA Tour and LIV Golf isn’t necessary but it’ll help reduce the hostility between the tours and players.

The 54-year-old acknowledged the hostility that has developed because of the bad experiences after he joined LIV Golf in 2022. He said:

“I need to let that stuff go. I need to let go of all the experiences I have had in the past that were less than positive. I need to let go of my hostilities, and we all do for the betterment of the game.”
In the 31 events at LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson has earned $6,729,433 so far.

A look at Phil Mickelson’s performances in 2024
Phil Mickelson has had a dismal 2024 season so far. The 54-year-old has had only one top-10 finish and two top-25 finishes in his 12 starts this year.

Mickelson’s best finish of the year came at LIV Golf Jeddah where he finished T6. His other notable finish came at LIV Golf Singapore where he finished T22. He is currently 43rd on the LIV Golf Individual rankings, even worse than his 39th-ranked performance in 2023 and 34th in 2022.

Let’s take a look at Phil Mickeson’s performances in the 2024 season both on LIV Golf tournaments and PGA Tour Majors:

LIV Golf Tournaments
LIV Golf Mayakoba: T51 (73-77-74, 224, +11)
LIV Golf Las Vegas: T30 (70-67-71, 208, -2)
LIV Golf Jeddah: T6 (65-68-67, 200, -10)
LIV Golf Hong Kong: T52 (80-68-70, 218, +8)
LIV Golf Miami: 47 (76-72-76, 224, +8)
LIV Golf Adelaide: T38 (69-70-70, 209, -7)
LIV Golf Singapore: T22 (72-68-67, 207, -6)
LIV Golf Houston: T37 (71-69-74, 214, -2)
LIV Golf Nashville: T40 (70-70-71, 211, -2)
2024 PGA TOUR Tournaments
Masters Tournament: T43 (73-75-74-74, 296, +8)
PGA Championship: Missed Cut (74-72, 146, +4)
U.S. Open: Missed Cut (79-76, 155, +15)
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Edited by Parag Jain