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Furious Phil Mickelson tells golf reporter: “Get your facts straight”

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Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson implored a golf journalist to ‘open their eyes’ and ‘get their facts straight’ after he claimed that one of his gripes with the PGA Tour was ‘completely dismissed’ in a report. 

Mickelson took to X on 1 December to blast GOLF‘s Dylan Dethier over his recent column dissecting the current state of the men’s game.

Phil Mickelson vindicated for long view of PGA-LIV Golf clash

READ: Phil Mickelson’s comment says it all as Rory McIlroy issue emerges after LIV hope

Discussing Mickleson’s recent YouTube matches, Dethier wrote:

“While Mickelson’s claims that the Tour is sitting on ‘multiple billions of dollars’ in NFTs may have been aggressive, it’s clear he’s using the freedom of a LIV offseason to play a different type of team golf and potentially unlock some extra value in the process.”

An unhappy Mickelson took issue and replied:

“In this article you dismissed my claim that the Tour is sitting on billions of dollars in NFT’s and digital moments.

“Let me point out that when Ron Price testified in front of of congress he was asked how much assets does the Tour have. He said a little less than three billion.

“Four months later they sold a stake to SSG on a valuation of 12.5 billion.

“Where do you think the 9.5 billion discrepancy came from?

“That’s right, digital moments and NFT’s. Open your eyes and get your facts straight please.”

In 2022, Mickelson was particularly outspoken about the PGA Tour’s control over digital rights and NFTs.

Before LIV Golf officially launched, Mickelson criticised the Tour for having what he called ‘obnoxious greed’ in controlling players’ media and digital rights, including their ability to monetise their own highlights.

In a Golf Digest interview, Mickelson argued that players should own the rights to their personal highlights and performances, rather than the PGA Tour holding exclusive control.

He felt this limited players’ abilities to explore opportunities in emerging markets, like NFTs.

Lefty pointed out that some athletes in other leagues, such as the NBA and NFL, had greater leeway in monetising their own media moments.

Mickelson previously said: “It’s not public knowledge, all that goes on

“But the players don’t have access to their own media. If the Tour wanted to end any threat [from Saudi or anywhere else], they could just hand back the media rights to the players.

“But they would rather throw $25 million here and $40 million there than give back the roughly $20 billion in digital assets they control.

“Or give up access to the $50-plus million they make every year on their own media channel.”

He added: “There are many issues, but that is one of the biggest.

“For me personally, it’s not enough that they are sitting on hundreds of millions of digital moments.

“They also have access to my shots, access I do not have.

“They also charge companies to use shots I have hit. And when I did ‘The Match’—there have been five of them—the Tour forced me to pay them $1 million each time.

“For my own media rights. That type of greed is, to me, beyond obnoxious.”

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GOLF

Phil Mickelson’s comment says it all as Rory McIlroy issue emerges after LIV hope

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Rory McIlroy Phil Mickelson

Rory McIlroy has been left unimpressed by the PGA Tour’s packed schedule, and a comment made in the past by LIV rival Phil Mickelson rings relevant

Phil Mickelson’s revelation that LIV Golf rejuvenated him for major tournaments could serve as a wake-up call for Rory McIlroy following his ‘hard slog’ remark.

The world of professional golf was rocked in 2022 when the Saudi Arabian PIF-backed LIV Golf emerged as a rival to the established PGA Tour, luring away some of the sport’s biggest names, including Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, along with numerous other major champions.

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Northern Ireland’s McIlroy was among the stalwarts who stood their ground and criticized those deserting the tour. However, as time has passed, a resolution and merger between the two entities appear increasingly likely. Consequently, McIlroy’s position has softened, and he has even begun criticizing his own circuit.

Referring to the PGA Tour’s schedule as a ‘hard slog’, while contemplating withdrawing from the RBC Heritage, breakaway golfer and six-time major winner Mickelson explained his decision to switch sides – giving McIlroy food for thought, reports the Mirror.

After being fined £2.3million in 2023 for missing the Heritage, McIlroy took a swipe at the PGA this month, criticizing their congested and exhausting schedule.

“There’s a few tournaments that I played this year that I don’t usually play and that I might not play next year,” McIlroy told the Daily Telegraph. “Well, at this point in my career, I’m 35 and have been out here for 17, 18 years. I’m just going to go to the places that I enjoy and where I play well. Look I’ve done the hard slog, I’ve done that sort of 25 to 30 events a year. I’m not getting any younger.”

San Diego-born Mickelson used this exact fact to rally troops for LIV, explaining his choice to switch. He took to social media to describe how the rival outfit has left him feeling fresher for major titles.

“Love LIV or hate it, it’s the best way/Tour to be your best in the majors. Enough events to keep you sharp, fresh and ready, yet not be worn down from too many tournaments or obligations. 14 LIV events, 34 weeks left open to prepare for the 4 majors. Fact,” Mickelson wrote on X in 2023.

The similarities between what McIlroy wishes for and what LIV provides could balance out to form the perfect medium if the proposed merger – that saw negotiations begin in 2023 – were to come to fruition. McIlroy also spoke out about his hopes for the merger this month.

Donald Trump, winner of the 2024 US presidential election, appeared on legendary former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick’s Let’s Go podcast while on his campaign trail, stating that it would take him “the better part of 15 minutes” to sort out this “golf civil war.” McIlroy responded hopefully.

“Given what’s happened, I think that [Trump winning] clears the way a little bit,” McIlroy told reporters after Trump’s victory. “He might be able to. He’s got Elon Musk, who I think is the smartest man in the world, beside him.

“We might be able to do something if we can get Musk involved, too. I think from the outside looking in, it’s probably a little less complicated than it actually is. Trump has a great relationship with Saudi Arabia. He’s got a great relationship with golf. He’s a lover of golf. So, maybe. Who knows?”

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Phil Mickleson furiously confronted golfer in locker room after remarks about his outfit

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LIV Golf Phil Mickelson

Phil Mickelson once exploded at Vijay Singh in the locker room at The Masters during a row over the now-LIV Golf star’s spikes.

Back in 2005, tensions were rising between the sport’s best players, with Mickelson, Singh, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els sharing frosty relationships.

Singh had little issue getting under the skin of his rivals. Then the top-ranked player on the PGA Tour, the Fijian is claimed to have complained about Mickelson’s spikes on the 12th hole at Augusta National.

The story goes that Singh called over an official to protest that the spikes on Mickelson’s soles were leaving significant marks in the ground. The American, who had switched from 6mm to 8mm spikes a few days before, was informed that someone would file them down.

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Stuart Appleby, Mickelson’s playing partner, is said to have quipped: “What are they going to send? A blacksmith?”

The chair of Augusta National’s competition committee later revealed that the spikes were never filed and said: “One of our officials talked to Phil to see if there was a burr on the side of one of his spikes. He very generously, as you know he would, said he would change them when he got in if there was a problem. There wasn’t.”

Mickelson felt that Singh could have handled the situation more sensitively, perhaps making officials aware at the end of the round.

He reflected afterwards: “I was extremely distracted and would have appreciated if it would have been handled differently or after the round. After sitting in the locker room for a while, I heard Vijay talking to other players about it, and I confronted him. He expressed his concerns. I expressed my disappointment with the way it was handled.’’

However, Mickelson’s version of events are reported to be extremely watered down. According to Golf WRX, he entered the locker room to hear Singh criticising him to other players. It is claimed that Mickelson yelled at his rival, called him a “motherf*****”, and offered to settle their differences outside.

That version of events was largely backed up by Tiger Woods’ caddie at the time, Steve Williams, on the Chasing Majors podcast.

I think it was just Phil and Vijay,” said Williams, who added that Mickelson’s spikes were “certainly legal”. He continued: “I understand there was a bit of a heated conversation in the locker room. There’s no love lost between those two, that’s for sure.”

Mickelson finished 10th that year with Woods going on to win. There was a third green jacket for the now-54-year-old 12 months later, though.

And when Singh was criticised in 2020 for taking a place in a Korn Ferry Tour event, Mickelson leapt to his defence, saying: “It’s no secret VJ and I aren’t close, but I’d like to say on his behalf that in addition to being a member of the HoF, he’s a big part of the PGA Tour’s success which financially subsidises, and always has, the KFT. He has earned the right to play when and where he wants.”

Sing, though, is yet to repay the compliment to Mickelson following his decision to join the LIV Golf tour in 2022.

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