DEREK LAWRENSON: Phil Mickelson’s U-turn helps him hog the limelight again… the 51-year-old has changed his tune on Saudi Super Golf League and now warns rivals of getting mixed up with ‘scary motherf*****s’
- Phil Mickelson, 51, has spoken out against Saudi Arabia’s Super Golf League plan
- He has accepted at least $10million in Saudi appearance fees in recent years
- Mickelson feels the Saudi situation is a ruse for ‘leverage’ against the PGA Tour
What a week for the proposed Saudi golf revolution.
As the world’s best players lined up here to voice their rejection of the riches on offer to join the Super Golf League, Phil Mickelson managed to overshadow them all by calling the Saudis ‘scary motherf*****s to get involved with’.
Yes, the same Mickelson who has accepted at least $10million in appearance fees from the Saudis in recent years and was acting as their champion – acting, apparently being the operative word.
Phil Mickelson (pictured at the PIF Saudi International earlier this month) has completely changed his tune on Saudi Arabia and has said: ‘why would I get involved with them?’
In quotes that appear in a soon to be published book – Phil: The rip-roaring (and unauthorised) biography of golf’s most colourful superstar – Mickelson claims the Saudi situation has all been a ruse to gain ‘leverage’ and reshape the PGA Tour.
It has worked to the extent that the tour will hand over hundreds of millions of dollars more in prize money and other initiatives over the next few years, moves that not surprisingly have gone down well with the young men with the most to gain.
But where on earth does it all leave Mickelson, who burned most of his PGA Tour bridges when he accused them of ‘obnoxious greed’ and appears hellbent on biting every hand that feeds him?
It is believed that he is mulling over an offer of around $100m to be one of the key figures in the SGL. Or was.
Six-time major champion Mickelson recently hit out at the PGA Tour’s ‘obnoxious greed’
He has pulled a u-turn on Saudi plans by labelled the country’s leaders ‘scary motherf*****s’
Mickelson is quoted as saying: ‘We know the Saudis killed (journalist Jamal) Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights. They execute people over there for being gay.
‘Why would I even consider getting involved with them? Because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to reshape the way the PGA Tour operates.
‘As nice a guy as PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan comes across as, unless you have leverage he won’t do what’s right.’
Monahan has certainly done the right thing as far as the young stars are concerned.
World No 1 Jon Rahm, Open champion Collin Morikawa, Jordan Spieth, Viktor Hovland, Brooks Koepka… the list went on.
Indeed, Dustin Johnson was alone among the top 10 in not voicing his unequivocal support for the status quo.
In Los Angeles, Rory McIlroy said he ‘would not tarnish his reputation for Saudi millions’
‘Maybe they’ll rename it the Not So Super League,’ said Rory McIlroy, a long-time critic.
It leaves the likes of Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson mulling over £20m offers to join, with a supposed announcement of a starting date for 14 events, 10 of which will take place in America, some time next month.
Joining will mean a lifetime ban from the PGA and DP World Tours and end any prospect of becoming Ryder Cup captain.
The Genesis Invitational? At lovely Riviera, Ryder Cup colleagues Spieth and Scottie Scheffler set the early pace with five under par rounds of 66.
Rahm shot 69 to make it 34 consecutive rounds under par on the PGA Tour. The record is held by Tiger Woods with 52.
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