When asked what LIV Golf had achieved in the first year of its existence, Phil Mickelson’s answer was all about money.
Mickelson was first to say, “It has provided 48 new professional opportunities at the highest possible pay. That is incredible,” after finishing Sunday’s 2023 PGA Championship with a 10-over-par 290.
Mickelson is one of them. His reported contract of $200 million was the biggest ever given by the Saudi Arabian-funded league. It’s not the news that CEO Greg Norman and Commissioner Greg Norman hoped to hear, as LIV continues its battle against the perception that players joined the breakaway to get rich.
Mickelson spoke about the LIV, which “holds a lot people accountable” as well as appealing to a “much younger” generation.
He said, “It is… getting younger fans out to introduce a different vibe to golf that I believe is necessary.”
Mickelson stated, “We are only one year in and I think three to five years from now, we will be where we are.” “But it’s only been a year, so for me this is just the beginning.” In two years’ time, we will need to reflect and ask ourselves, “Are we on the right track?” It seems that we are.
Mickelson did not directly comment on the New York Times report stating that he, Bryson deChambeau, and Sergio Garcia had been interviewed by the Justice Department. He only said it was accurate, and he knew “a lot” of information would come out in the future.
The DOJ is currently investigating the PGA Tour in relation to antitrust violations and collusion with regards to the Official World Golf Ranking.
Mickelson stated, “I’m not going to go into details now but I’m sure that a lot will be revealed later and I’m appreciative of the fact that they are being held accountable.”
The LIV has six tournaments in its 14-tournament season, with the next one taking place this week at Trump National near Washington, D.C.
Mickelson stated “unambiguously” that LIV is more popular in other countries when asked about what will be required to make it popular in the United States.
He said, “Have some more open-mindedness. Maybe, that’s my guess.” “But those who come to the tournaments and take part in them seem to really enjoy it.
Look, this is not going away. It will continue to grow and I hope people continue to try it.
Who is open-minded?
He said, “I think it’s a lot of people in the sense that there is a feeling of golf being a closed shop. “Each tour is managed by a single organization. “Every tour is run by one organization.”
“It’s appealing to younger people and you have to be a bit open-minded to try it and say,… “even though I’ve been doing it this way for decades, perhaps I should be open to seeing it in a new way. ‘”
