25 June 2024 , 16:41
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Ruffling some PGA Tour feathers, Phil Mickelson has openly stated that he desires for LIV Golf to be etched as his 'legacy'.
The golfing legend stands amongst multiple prominent personalities who exited the PGA Tour to ink a lucrative contract with LIV Golf following Saudi Arabia's footstep into the golf world back in 2022. Before shifting allegiance, Mickelson marked an impressive tally of 45 tournament triumphs on the PGA Tour. Yet, it's the eyebrow-raising £155 million deal with the Saudi Public Investment Fund-backed LIV Golf tour that he begrudgingly stamped his signature on.
Even with such a decorated career behind him, the 53 year old golfer opines that he wishes to be immortalised through his recent efforts. Expressing his hopes to the Fairway to Heaven Podcast, Mickelson asserted, "Well, I mean I think hopefully LIV Golf and helping get the game to a younger crowd, helping get the game to younger players and giving them infrastructure to become great, helping to grow the game on a global basis. Like, all the things LIV Golf is doing. I feel very connected to the success."
Queried again if his 'legacy' lay with LIV Golf, Mickelson responded: "I sure hope so. Because it wasn't an option - like elevated events and equity in the tour wasn't an option for the guys that came to LIV."
Drawing further contrast, he continued: "And so the fact that we are invested and involved and integrated into the success of LIV - and I'm happy for the guys on the Tour that they now have all that stuff because they should."
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"But where we're at, we're attracting a different crowd. And we're attracting a global crowd. And that's critical to the long-term success of the game.
Phil Mickelson wants LIV Golf to be his lasting legacy - not his time with the PGA Tour ((Image: Getty))"And it's something that the old model of the Tour would never transcend into because you couldn't get all the guys to go travel the world and play over there and again attract players that don't play the game of golf to want to watch."
"I think LIV Golf is doing that and I'm hopeful that my connection with LIV and hopeful the success of LIV will be what I'm known for." Mickelson admitted that the first two years on the LIV tour had been tough, with fans split over his decision to join the breakaway tour.
He said: "I knew the first two years were going to be rough and here we are, two years in now, and it's totally different. We're having a blast here. We're having so much fun." The PGA Tour announced in March that it hoped a merger could be agreed with LIV Golf. However, no agreement has been reached yet.