Phil Mickelson took aim at PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan for his mishandling of LIV Golf before agreeing to merge with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).
When LIV Golf launched, many PGA Tour stars - led by Mickelson - agreed to lucrative deals to join the Saudi-backed setup and have gone on to compete for blockbuster purses while playing a reduced schedule. As soon as the breakaway series arrived to unsettle the professional golf landscape, the players who switched to LIV Golf received a tsunami of criticism.
Many loyal PGA Tour figures branded those who defected to LIV Golf as morally bankrupt individuals, but Monahan opened himself up to immense criticism. Players like Mickelson believe Monahan has acted hypocritically with the merger announcement, a move which ultimately convinced reigning Masters champion Jon Rahm to leave for LIV Golf.
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Back in June, the PIF sensationally agreed to merge with the PGA Tour and suggest an end to golf’s immense divide. PIF has received staunch opposition since it began entering sports, with many - including the PGA Tour - pointing to its human rights atrocities as a factor, but the merger was a stunning development that left many players disillusioned.
The merger ensured the pending legal dispute between the tours was placed on the back burner as they attempt to co-exist as a single entity. A signed agreement will combine the PGA Tour and LIV's commercial operations and rights into a new company that is yet-to-be-named, along with the DP World Tour. The merger is yet to be finalised.
News of the merger sent shockwaves around the sport in the summer - and Mickelson, who is an outspoken figure against the PGA Tour - certainly made his feelings towards Monahan clear as he reposted a scathing post by Flushing It on X.
The post read: "The latest issue of Australian Golf Digest is a fantastic read. The Premier of South Australia absolutely nails the moral argument about LIV Golf."
Phil Mickelson was the first high-profile name to switch from the PGA Tour to LIV Golf (Getty Images)The article in that magazine describes Monahan's initial "moral high ground" stance as a "temporary self-serving position". Flushing It added: "As we move nine months on from the original 'framework argument', it’s really important to remember what an abhorrent PR campaign Ponte Vedra used to try and discredit LIV and anyone who supported it’s arrival.
"There was never a concern over the source of the money, this fight was always purely about maintaining a monopoly and trying to prevent the power shift at the top of the sport from moving east. Hopefully everyone can see that clearly now."
Former PGA Tour veteran Chris DiMarco recently became the latest pro to criticise commissioner Monahan's handling of the PGA Tour-LIV Golf divide. The commissioner’s change in stance did not go down with a number of players, including DiMarco.
“Not to bash Jay Monahan, but I think he handled it terribly,” DiMarco told the Subpar Podcast. “In the beginning have the cut and dry [stance] that he did, I think it was a little too much.
“I think he should have let some of this soak in and see what was going to happen, and he just got to a point where it got black and white, that’s it. I think he could have done a little bit better of a job with that, the guys had stuck by. Like Rory McIlroy, these guys have turned down a lot of money and what do they have to show for it? These guys get to come back and play, I’d be pretty ticked off if I was them.”
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