Phil Mickelson is sticking up for Rory McIlroy after McIlroy made comments criticizing the PGA Tour’s business model and how LIV Golf was able to expose it by signing away several top stars.
In a post on social media, Mickelson urged people not to “pile on” McIlroy for what he said, but use it as a chance for “me and others to let go of our hostilities and work towards a positive future.”
McIlroy’s comments were made during an appearance on the Stick to Football podcast (h/t Patrick McDonald of CBS Sports) when he said it “was a bit of a mistake” to criticize players who made the move to LIV Golf in the way that he did.
As part of that discussion, McIlroy explained the emergence of LIV has “exposed the flaws in the system of what golf has” because the PGA Tour can’t guarantee to sponsors which players are going to appear in which tournaments.
“But I think what LIV and the Saudis have exposed is that you’re asking for millions of dollars to sponsor these events, and you’re not able to guarantee to the sponsors that the players are going to show up. I can’t believe the PGA Tour has done so well for so long,” he said.
The money put up for LIV Golf by the Saudi Public Investment Fund made it a significant challenger to the PGA Tour for top golfers. Someone like Mickelson still has a big name, but he’s well past his prime on the course.
The addition of players like Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm has helped legitimize LIV as a league that top stars are willing to be part of.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan essentially acknowledged as much when it was announced last summer that the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf were combining to form one single entity.
Per a report from Andrew Beaton and Louise Radnofsky of the Wall Street Journal, Monahan said in a speech at PGA Tour headquarters soon after the merger was announced they “cannot compete with a foreign government with unlimited money.”
Despite resistance from some players, including McIlroy, to LIV’s attempt at buying players to make itself legitimate, it’s become apparent more and more of them are open to it because the money being thrown around is extreme.
Rahm’s contract with LIV Golf is believed to be worth more than $300 million. McIlroy has earned an estimated $140.1 million in 15 years on the PGA Tour.
