The late, great Fuzzy Zoeller once revealed Phil Mickelson “sat near the end of the table” and “didn’t speak at all” at the Masters Champions Dinner in 2023.
And, although the PGA Tour and LIV Golf can now pass in the street and nod, with hostility cooler than before, we have more evidence to suggest that Mickelson still holds a polarising presence in the sport in which he has thrilled, dazzled, but also shocked people in more ways than one.
Sir Nick Faldo told the NCG Golf Podcast that the midweek gathering for Green Jacket holders in Masters week is still ‘a little awkward’, given Mickelson’s role in kickstarting the new Saudi-funded league that has rivalled the PGA Tour since 2022, and driven a stake through the men’s game.
In the months before its launch, the three-time Masters champion accused the tour of ‘obnoxious greed’ over media rights, but also saw incendiary comments he made about the Saudi regime publicised by author Alan Shipnuck, causing an almighty mess that almost burned the LIV house down by its foundations before it was built.
“Some guys make it a little awkward. Obviously, Phil,” Faldo said to the NCG Golf Podcast, when asked about the atmosphere between LIV and PGA Tour players at the annual sitdown in the famous Augusta clubhouse.
“There is an element of it getting less each year, them and us, and that sort of thing.
“Because he’s always so outspoken,” Faldo added, “but I think the way he slated the tour back in the day – Let them get on with their own world.”
Mickelson was allegedly given $200 million to join LIV, and is one of many stars to have left the PGA Tour and grabbed the riches offered by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, which bankrolls the rebel circuit.
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Mickelson, Dustin Johnson, Lee Westwood and Ian Poulter joined from the start, and then came Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, Cam Smith, and Patrick Reed.
Each LIV event has 54 players and no cut, meaning guaranteed earnings each week and $4 million for the winner. Across 26 events since joining in 2024, Rahm has earned just shy of $75 million, which is just one of many cases that document the almighty financial power, and the career opportunities, that the LIV League possesses.
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“LIV – how would I describe it? I just let them go and do their own thing, they believe they’re doing a great product and everything,” Faldo said.
“My line now is that they’re the luckiest golfers in the world because you’ve got half the field you haven’t heard of playing in a $25 million tournament each week.
“You’ve got the middle ranking guys who are either injured or about to retire, earning 10 times more than what they could’ve earned on tour with the same golf.
“Then, you’ve got half a dozen superstars being paid a fortune and haven’t moved the needle, and the other golfers are locked out.”
Money in Sport reported the PIF’s investment in LIV met the $5 billion mark this month. But, although the new circuit has nabbed a handful of top players and secured a TV deal with Fox Sports, viewing figures and general interest are still dwarfed by the PGA Tour.
The idea is that each of the 13 LIV teams grows into its own franchise, which will need time and, dare we say, more investment. The two recent signings of established European players Victor Perez and Laurie Canter add familiarity for the fans and depth to the tournaments, but Faldo, a six-time major-winning icon, is somewhat bewildered by both LIV’s business model and their recruitment strategy.
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“There’s no business model that’s like this in the world, it’s like going to your bank manager and saying can I borrow £60,000 to build my company, your bank manager says, ‘Yeah sure there it is’, and then you come back five years later and say, ‘I’m paying my interest on that, and my running costs, so I’m still losing £7,000 every year, will you keep paying for it?’ And he says yes. It’s not the real world.
“They’re all excited that they’ve signed up two golfers that were 250th in the world and 350th in the world, and they’re all excited about that.
“Marc Leishman, you haven’t heard of Marc Leishman, have you? He won $10 million last year, and you haven’t heard of these guys,” Faldo added.
“Joaquin Niemann won $20 million, and how good were his major performances through the year? He just missed the cut in Australia. He’s their star player, it’s bonkers. They are so fortunate. If you want a boat load of cash, if that’s what your priority is, boys, they have given you this opportunity.”
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