Phil Mickelson, a six-time major champion, said he was optimistic about the future of professional golf in response to the stunning PGA Tour/PIF/LIV arrangement on June 6th.
Mickelson stated, “I feel grateful that we have reached this point of working together. It gives me confidence in where golf will be headed in the future.” We thought it would take us about two years to get to this point. It was a year-and-a-half or six months faster than I expected.
Mickelson, in his first public remarks since the announcement of the groundbreaking agreement, said on Wednesday that players were appreciative of the changes brought about on both tours by LIV Golf. He spoke at a press conference before a LIV Golf event in Andalucia.
Mickelson stated that “Going forward we are all very optimistic” about the direction of professional golf and golf in general. “Also a lot of changes made by LIV have been [appreciated] both on the LIV Tour and the PGA Tour. We’re happy that the guys are having some positive change there as well.”
He was most specific in his comments about the PGA-PIF agreement on Wednesday. When the news broke, he tweeted “Awesome Day Today “.
Mickelson didn’t speak to reporters during the U.S. Open earlier this month in Los Angeles. Two days in a week, including Mickelson’s Birthday, a heckler yelled at Mickelson loudly. The heckler was reportedly referring to the $200 million contract Mickelson signed with LIV Golf. He missed the U.S. Open.
Mickelson was at the center of the LIV Golf Scandal from the start.
In February 2022, he was criticized for remarks he made about LIV. He called the Saudis’scary’ and decided to ignore their human rights abuses because “this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to reshape the PGA Tour.” He later apologized for his comments.
By: Anthony Gharib
Title: Phil Mickelson on pro golf’s future after PGA Tour-PIF deal: ‘We’re all very optimistic’
Sourced From: golfweek.usatoday.com/2023/06/29/phil-mickelson-expresses-optimism-liv-golf/
Published Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2023 19:30:24 +0000
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