Phil Mickelson changes feelings on PGA-LIV merger ahead of US Open

15 June 2023 , 17:34

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Phil Mickelson refused to discuss the merger (Image: Getty Images)

The usually open Phil Mickelson has seemingly had a change in heart in regard to the recent landmark agreement between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

The world of golf was left in shock on June 6, when the PGA Tour confirmed it had agreed to sign a merging deal with its long-time rivals LIV Golf via the funding of the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF). Having been feuding rivals for 12 months, the Tour will align with LIV and the DP World Tour under one entity.

It remains to be seen what the groundbreaking agreement means for professional golf, with details on each circuits' future plans yet to be outlined.

The deal brings to an end arguably the ugliest year in professional golf, and one man who found himself at the centre of it was Mickelson. The five-time major champion became the biggest name to leave the PGA Tour and team up with the Saudi-backed circuit last summer.

And in the months after, Mickelson has been quick to comment on a number of twists and turns, most notably on social media. On the back of the merging announcement last week, 'Lefty' was clearly pleased, tweeting: "Awesome day today," accompanied with a smiling emoji.

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A week on for expressing his excitement though, Mickelson has appeared to have had a change in tune and refusing to speak on the deal at this week's US Open. The American is chasing the career Grand Slam in LA, and is keen to keep any off-course distractions to the back of his mind.

When asked about the agreement, Mickelson told Sports Illustrated: "I'll be happy to talk later. I just don’t want to waste any energy on it at the beginning of the week." He went on: "We had talked about doing something but I’d rather not do it this week.

Phil Mickelson is eyeing the career Grand Slam (Getty Images)

"I'd rather do it later, nothing’s happening anytime soon." Mickelson refusing to be drawn to comment is no doubt a rarity, but despite his radio silence, a number of LIV Golf players have been open to discuss the future of the rebel league.

Whilst they have been open to discuss the matter, many still remain in the dark as to watch the merger entails. "I don't know exactly what his future plans are because he was right about to go on CNBC," said Bryson DeChambeau of PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan.

"I didn't know what all was going on, but he said a couple of other cool ideas that I think could be interesting for the game of golf. But we'll see if it all happens because you've still got to dial in all of the details. There's a lot of unknowns."

Joshua Lees