“Manipulative, Coercive,” and “Obnoxiously Greedy” were the few harsh terms Phil Mickelson used while thrashing the PGA Tour over mistreatment, as reported in an excerpt of Alan Shipnuck’s biography of Lefty, ‘Phil: The Rip-Roaring.’ Over the past two years, Mickelson had been in a rift with the PGA Tour as he lost his membership in the league.
However, now it seems that Mickelson is ready to move from past woes and has extended an olive branch toward the PGA Tour to let go of the negatives and build a future for golf.
Phil Mickelson has moved on from all that was less-than-good
In an interview with Bloomberg, Phil Mickelson explained how LIV Golf’s existence brought out the best in the PGA Tour. He asserted that the competition between the two leagues has advanced the game to a newer level. Thus, a merger, whether it happens or not, might not be necessary, but the need of the hour.
The 54-year-old recounted the past feud with the PGA Tour and said, “It would be a good thing if there wasn’t any hostility”. The host Hadlisnda Amin asked the 6-time major winner if he would be able to rebuild a relationship with the PGA Tour in case of a unification, to which Lefty emphasized that bygones should be bygones.“I need to let that stuff go. I need to let go of all the experiences that I’ve had in the past that were less than positive,” Mickelson answered.
This is not the first time the 54-year-old PGA Tour winner has pressed upon letting go of the hard feelings. In the past, the indifference between Rory McIlroy and Mickelson took center stage. The golf world is aware of the Northern Irishman’s harsh words when the betting allegation surfaced and Mickelson’s teasing of the 4-time major winner over losing the 2022 RBC Heritage. After all, one was a PGA Tour loyalist and another was no more there. However, forgetting the negatives, Mickelson extended an understanding hand to McIlroy and indirectly ended the feud.
Phil Mickelson taking a dig at McIlroy may never be seen again
Since the inception of LIV Golf and as the golfers chose different leagues, creating a bifurcation, Rory Mcilroy has not been shy of showing his dislike for the Saudi-backed circuit, always opposing its creation. However, three years in, the Northern Irishman’s stance softened as his close friend Jon Rahm jumped to LIV Golf.
McIlroy finally accepted LIV Golf as part of the sport and had one regret that he judged the defectors early and just too much. He also made a similar point as Mickelson that LIV exposed the flaws of the PGA Tour and helped it improve. After McIlroy’s sudden change of heart, while the golf world was critical of it, Mickelson posted a tweet in support of him.
Many times in the past, Mickelson’s tweets have been a jibe at McIlroy but this time around, Lefty advocated that it wasn’t easy for McIlroy to accept his mistakes out loud, and by doing so, it was time that everyone let go of hostilities and looked forward for a better future.
From criticizing the PGA Tour to being open to rebuilding the broken ties, in just 2 years, Mickelson seems to have a change of heart as well.
