Phil Mickelson went from being one of golf’s most popular figures to the face of its biggest divide.
His move to LIV Golf in 2022 marked a significant shift in professional golf.
He played a major part in getting the league up and running, helping draw other big names away from the PGA Tour to join him.
Mickelson admitted that his decision to join LIV Golf cost him the opportunity to become Ryder Cup captain.
It is unfortunate, considering what he accomplished over the course of his career.
In May, Mickelson even went so far as to claim that LIV team golf could be more exciting than the Ryder Cup at times.
And while that statement did not sit well with many fans, he did have a point when he argued that the PGA Tour was holding back more money than necessary from players. Since LIV’s arrival, purses on the PGA Tour have increased significantly.
Nevertheless, people tend to overlook this, choosing instead to concentrate on some of Lefty’s mistakes.
Phil Mickelson accused of deceiving major star into LIV Golf move
Brandel Chamblee has long been a vocal critic of Phil Mickelson, particularly regarding his role in the rise of LIV Golf.
Therefore, Chamblee’s jab at the six-time major winner during his appearance on Trey Wingo’s podcast was not a surprise.
This time, he went as far as to claim that Mickelson played a part in misleading Jon Rahm about making the move to LIV Golf.
“A lot of the players out there were misled, thinking they would be the impetus for change.
“Amongst them at the top of that heap was Jon Rahm. I think Jon Rahm was misled probably by Phil Mickelson, maybe by Greg Norman, that he was going to be the impetus for change.
“That he was such a monumental star that if they got him everything would collapse and they’d be forced to come together,” the golf pundit said.
Chamblee’s criticism often overlooks how much money LIV Golf has put back into the sport. While it is completely fair to call out Saudi Arabia for their human rights record, it can also be true that LIV caused good changes on the PGA Tour.
LIV did not always do things right, but there is no denying that PGA Tour purses are bigger now than ever before – and none of it would have happened without LIV shaking things up first.
And while Mickelson may have been one voice in Rahm’s decision-making process, Rahm is known for being independent-minded and unlikely to have made such a choice lightly or under pressure from any single person.
Brandel Chamblee names four players he believes truly influence golf viewership
According to Chamblee, just four players have the kind of pull that can draw fans to their TVs, and he explained why he feels that way.
“There are very few people in the game of golf who cause people to stop mowing their lawn to go inside and watch golf.
“Tiger, Rory, Spieth, when Jordan Spieth was playing like Jordan Spieth and Phil Mickelson eons ago.
“But when Phil went to LIV and talked about the atrocities of the people who fund LIV and said that, in essence, he could use LIV as leverage to get what he wanted from the PGA Tour, it turned a lot of people off. In fact, it turned everybody in the game of golf off and they saw LIV for what it was – a money grab.“
The golf pundit’s statement is largely accurate, though Scottie Scheffler and Bryson DeChambeau also deserve to be included.
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