Mickelson was absent from the 150th Open’s Champions’ Dinner in 2022 and subsequently mentioned that he had been requested not to attend.
In 2022, Phil Mickelson did not attend the Champions’ Dinner at the 150th Open at St. Andrews. Now, a new report is saying that the snub was orchestrated by Tiger Woods.
An excerpt of Alan Shipnuck’s new book “LIV and Let Die: The Inside Story of the War Between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf,” published on The Fire Pit Collective on Wednesday, adds a new layer.
According to a person at the dinner, Mickelson’s snub originated from Woods, who spoke to other Open winner at the clubhouse at St. Andrews to get Mickelson uninvited from the event.
“He talked to a handful of other [past champions] to get their blessing and then went to the R&A and told them, basically, no one wanted Phil there and it would make the night weird and awkward,” the attendee said in the excerpt. “Whose side were they going to take Tiger’s or Phil’s? That’s an easy choice.”
Phil Mickelson had previously said that he was asked by the R&A not to participate in either the dinner or the Celebration of Champions.
“(The R&A) said, ‘Look, we don’t think it’s a great idea you go, but if you want to, you can,’” Mickelson said in a press conference following a round of the Open Championship. “I just didn’t want to make a big deal about it, so I said fine. We both kind of agreed that it would be best if I didn’t.”
Woods and Mickelson have had a longstanding rivalry that, while typically professional, has heated up in the years since LIV Golf first arrived on the scene.
Phil Mickelson was heavily criticized after joining Saudi-backed LIV Golf while also acknowledging that the country’s dismal human rights record. Meanwhile, his criticism of the PGA Tour resulted in a number of golfers proclaiming their loyalty for the PGA Tour — including Woods, who joined the PGA Tour advisory board in August after turning down a reported $700-800 million from LIV.
Phil Mickelson withdrew from both the Masters Tournament and PGA Championship in 2022 following backlash to his comments. He took part in the inaugural LIV Golf event in June 2022 and then was suspended by the PGA Tour along with the other golfers who joined LIV.
