Phil Mickelson legacy in tatters as DeChambeau and Johnson reject Saudi Golf League riches
ONCE a staple of the PGA Tour, Phil Mickelson's pledge to the Saudi Golf League has left his Tour reputation in ruins.
The Match: Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson joke at the tee
Phil Mickelson has often been seen as one of golf's good guys. A combination of fan interaction, down-to-earth joking and a serious talent has led many to label the American golf’s ‘people champion’.
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Mickelson has acted as the PGA Tour’s showman for over three decades, however it seems his long-lasting legacy has come crumbling to the ground in the space of a few weeks.
The proposed Saudi Golf League (SGL) has sent shockwaves around the world of golf in recent months, as it looks to lure away some of the sport’s biggest names with mega-money offers.
Golf is undoubtedly a sport built on traditions, and when these traditions are questioned it often leads to controversy.
The thought of change in the sport sends shivers down the spines of golf purists, however even some of the game’s most unorthodox names have turned their back on the idea of a circuit that many regard to be an attempt of ‘sportswashing’ by the state of Saudi Arabia.
This includes one of golf’s most unconventional personalities in Bryson DeChambeau, who has snubbed joining the SGL despite reports suggesting that the American had been offered an eye-watering £100million to sign up.
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DeChambeau is not the only superstar to have ruled himself out of joining in spite of initial links, as he followed Dustin Johnson in pledging his allegiance to the PGA Tour on Sunday, in what would have been a big hit for series organisers.
The likes of Tiger Woods, Collin Morikawa, Justin Thomas, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and Rory McIlroy have all also rubbished the idea, which left the latter to ask the question ‘who is left’ to join the now not so Super League?
In answer to McIlroy’s question, it seems a wild two weeks has left one name still in the pro-Saudi League column, and that man is Mickelson.
‘Lefty’ has been a staple of the PGA Tour for many a year now, but it seems the six-time major winner has shattered his reputation following comments in recent weeks.
As murmurings of player offers to the breakaway circuit began Mickelson was quick to pitch his side of the argument on the side of the Saudis, as he slammed the PGA Tour for its ‘obnoxious greed’.
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Unsurprisingly this didn’t sit well, with many branding the American a hypocrite. After all, the 51-year-old had won over £70million in tournament earnings on the US-based circuit, which no doubt built him a platform to become one of the planet’s wealthiest sportsmen.
Mickelson however had dealt his cards, and his public tirade against the Tour he had spent nearly all of his professional career on had begun.
Lefty’s argument centred around players’ media rights, which he believed the PGA Tour had benefited massively from at the playing members’ expense.
It seems however that none of Mickelson’s fellow players have come to back the American up on his claims, and after MailSport revealed just how PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monohan has kept the rest following his lead, it isn’t hard to see why.
As a result, funding for the sport’s best players on the circuit is set to skyrocket, with prize money jumping from £48million to a remarkable £315million, as he looks to ‘rip up’ the Tour’s long-lasting business plan to keep hold of some of his most prized possessions.
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With player after player continuing to pledge their allegiance to the PGA Tour, it now looks as if Mickelson has been left to fight his cause alone.
When the six-time major champ took aim at the US-based circuit he may well have imagined he wouldn’t be the only one pushing to make the Saudi switch, however this now seems the case.
And, after comments emerged from a soon to be released biography Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar' - again surrounding Saudi League - it looked to be the beginning of the end for Mickelson’s side
In the book, the American is clearly seen implying that he is more than aware of the human rights abuses that go on the Saudi state, labelling them ‘scary motherf*****s’, but insists he still intends to consider the move in order to gain ‘leverage’ on the PGA Tour.
This seemed to be the American star’s final nail in the coffin in terms of relations with his fellow Tour peers, with former world No. 1 McIlroy slamming the 51-year-old as ‘selfish and ignorant’.
At the Genesis Invitational last Sunday the Northern Irishman didn’t hold back: “I don’t want to kick someone while he’s down obviously, but I thought they were naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant,” the four-time major winner added.
“A lot of words to describe that interaction he had. It was just very surprising and disappointing, sad.”
Sunday proved a damning day for SGL chiefs - led by two-time Open winner Greg Norman - following Johnson’s and DeChambeau’s snubs, and McIlroy's comments.
Mickelson is yet to speak out, but if the previous few days are anything to go by, the Saudi League could well be over before it has begun.
This would of course lead the 51-year-old to head back to the PGA Tour and Champions Tour for the rest of his career, however his once glowing circuit reputation would most definitely not be returning with him.
