Phil Mickelson (Source: USA Today Sports)Phil Mickelson came out firing at the PGA Tour on Thursday, asserting that he’s on the “winning side” playing on the LIV Golf Series.
Mickelson made the comments in Saudi Arabia ahead of the upstart circuit’s final stroke-play event in Jeddah. The LIV Golf Invitational-Jeddah begins Friday at Royal Greens in King Abdullah Economic City.
It also marks Mickelson’s first time in Saudi Arabia since controversial comments he allegedly made in an unauthorized biography.
“I firmly believe that I’m on the winning side of how things are going to evolve and shape in the coming years for professional golf,” Mickelson said. “I love the way they involve us and listen to us in decisions. I mean it’s so inclusive, it’s so fluid that things, LIV Golf is leading.”
He wasn’t finished.
“I see LIV Golf trending upwards, I see the PGA Tour trending downwards,” Mickelson said. “I love the side that I’m on. And I love how I feel. I love how I’m reinvigorated and excited to play golf and compete. I love the experience. I love the way they treat us.”
Mickelson has one Top 10 in six tournaments on the LIV circuit.
Mickelson also took a different tack addressing the Alan Shipnuck book, in which Mickelson allegedly referred to the Saudis as “scary mother——-.” Whereas Mickelson has previously maintained that those comments to Shipnuck were off the record and taken out of context, on Thursday he outright denied ever talking to the author.
“I never did an interview with Alan Shipnuck,” Mickelson said Thursday. “And I find that my experience with everybody associated with LIV Golf has been nothing but incredibly positive and I have the utmost respect for everybody that I’ve been involved with.”