Phil Mickelson names the three things LIV Golf stars have that PGA Tour rivals want to copy
Phil Mickelson has evidently severed ties with the PGA Tour since his move to LIV Golf and has shared his perspective on how the sport has evolved over the past two years. Mickelson was a prominent figure who first committed to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf league more than two years ago, leading a significant number…
Phil Mickelson has evidently severed ties with the PGA Tour since his move to LIV Golf and has shared his perspective on how the sport has evolved over the past two years.
Mickelson was a prominent figure who first committed to the Saudi-funded LIV Golf league more than two years ago, leading a significant number of high-profile golfers to join the new setup. One of the main motivations for Mickelson’s departure was the lack of media rights for players in the PGA Tour.
In a conversation with Golf Digest back in February 2022, Mickelson expressed his frustration, saying, “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, they could just hand back the media rights to the players… 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.” Mickelson’s remarks were widely reported at the time, marking the end of his 30-year relationship with the PGA Tour.
Fast forward two years, and the landscape of professional golf appears healthier. The PGA Tour is actively negotiating with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) to resolve their conflict with LIV Golf. Reflecting on the situation, Mickelson highlighted the positive changes that LIV Golf has brought to the sport.
Speaking to Bloomberg, Mickelson said, “We have elevated events every week out here on LIV.” He continued to list two more benefits: “We have equity, and we have the ability to use our social media platforms however we want to promote the game. This is starting to change now, and is changing on the PGA Tour.”
Mickelson’s observations hold weight, as the lucrative nature of the breakaway league seems to have pressured the PGA Tour into making significant changes. Under the leadership of Jay Monahan, the PGA Tour has introduced ‘Signature Events’ with eight tournaments offering prize purses of £15.8 million ($20 million), matching those of LIV events.
Additionally, the PGA Tour has rolled out a ‘Player Equity Program,’ which grants players shares in the tour’s for-profit entity, PGA Tour Enterprises. This approach is similar to LIV’s model, where players can own equity and have a stake in the 13 different franchises that compete on the circuit.
