In a lengthy interview with SI.com’s Bob Harig, Phil Mickelson said he has “moved on” since joining LIV Golf and he’s excited about where he’s headed with the Saudi-backed circuit.
The 45-minute interview covered a wide range of topics, from the recent moves by the PGA Tour to adjust its schedule and structure to his role in the sweeping changes in professional golf.
Mickelson said the Tour’s recent changes would not have been implemented without LIV Golf providing leverage for the game’s top players. “It was stated very clearly that nothing was going to happen. Unless there was leverage, nothing was going to change,” he said.
Mickelson also said he believes LIV events will be granted world-ranking points. If not, he explained, it would undermine the current system and create the need for a new ranking that reflects all the game’s top players.
He “wholeheartedly” believes he will play next year’s Masters despite being suspended by the PGA Tour for violating its regulations when he played LIV events.
“I believe that the leaders of the majors are really brilliant people who love the game of golf,” he said. “And I believe they understand how not having many of the top players in the world undermines their events. And how that would hurt the game of golf.”
Mickelson, one of seven players who filed an antitrust lawsuit against the Tour last month, also said he sees a path to coexistence between the Tour and LIV Golf, which is playing its fourth event this week outside Boston.
“I believe these organizations will come together in time and find a solution,” he said.
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