From Saudi Arabia, Phil Mickelson talks about ‘leverage’ and what he really wants in order to stay with the PGA Tour

As the game of cat and mouse between the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, Asian Tour, Greg Norman and others heats up in determining who will control the purse strings at the top of professional golf’s food chain, Phil Mickelson finally broke his silence on the subject and declared that he’s appreciative for the “leverage” that Saudi Arabia’s investment in the game has brought to him and his fellow big fish in the pond.

It took a while – 10 questions to be exact – but eventually Mickelson was asked the most softball of softball questions on the subject. Well, to be accurate, it wasn’t actually a question but rather a request to pontificate, or at least say words: “Please tell me a general comment on the Golf Saudi activity right now.”

Mickelson obliged, something he didn’t do at the American Express, a PGA Tour event he hosts, a few weeks ago: “I think as a player we’re very appreciative of the support that they have shown in supporting the LET (Ladies European Tour) and the LPGA as well as creating some leverage for players to have a leg to stand on and try to make the work environment better on the PGA Tour, and we’re very appreciative of everything they’ve done.”

The response begged for a follow-up but first someone chimed in with an important question (insert sarcasm emoji here) on the forthcoming 25^th anniversary of Tiger’s first victory at the Masters.

“Thank you for bringing it about that I missed the cut that week,” Mickelson began. “I felt like that was a really critical part of the question.”

‘There is competition’

But one question later we got back on topic when a question about the proposed Super Golf League was raised: “Can you give us the latest from your point of view whether you think it’s a good concept, whether you’ve been approached? Whatever you can tell us, please?”

Mickelson took the bait and responded, “I think everybody is looking at it and seeing parts of it that can really help and benefit their situation, their life, their career, and then there’s parts of it that they’re probably concerned with. I’m appreciative of the fact that there is competition, and that leverage has allowed for a much better environment on the PGA Tour, meaning we would not have an incentive program like the PIP for the top players without this type of competition. We would not have the increase in the FedEx Cup money. We would not have the increase in the Players Championship to $20 million this year if it wasn’t for this threat. It was projected to get there in a couple years. To have a season-long payout for the top 10 guys on the FedEx Cup list came about last year for the first time at 10 million, it’s going to double to 20 (million dollars), I think, and that wouldn’t be around.

“I’m appreciative of the competition, and what my hopes are is that the biggest thing, which are media rights and the way the players have been used for so long, I hope that that changes through the competitive opportunity, as well.”

In short, we still don’t know whether Mickelson likes the concept of a Super League but he sure is enjoying his new-found leverage in getting the things he wants from the PGA Tour. And while the PGA Tour has increased his allowance (that’s basically what the PIP is) and potential to earn even more money if he can rediscover the form that lifted him to victory at the PGA Championship, he’d like more control of his media rights before he’s ready to be a good soldier for the foreseeable future and get behind the PGA Tour as it exists today. That’s what he’s really after.

‘A direct offer?’

Gold star to the reporter who asked the following follow-up question: “Are you able to tell us if you’ve had a direct offer to play in the Super League eventually?”

“I think every player has been contacted,” Mickelson said. “I don’t think there’s a player that hasn’t been.”

Q: So that’s a yes?

A: It’s a softer way of saying, of answering your question directly. I’m just saying that pretty much every player that is in the top 100 I would say in the World Ranking has been contacted at some point, absolutely.

‘I’ve signed an NDA’

Count Englishman Lee Westwood, another player who has been rumored to be contemplating jumping ship for guaranteed money, among them. When he was asked about the Super Golf League during his press conference, he said, “I don’t know whether I want to answer questions on that. I’ve signed an NDA (non-disclosure agreement).”

But Westwood did sum up quite elegantly the game being played behind the scenes.

“It’s kind of like a game of poker really where the European Tour and the PGA Tour have had the biggest hand, and now there’s somebody else come to the table with more chips, so everybody is on their guard and very defensive and are clearly seeing the Asian Tour as a threat. Nobody can deny that. There wouldn’t have been all this trouble with releases and things like that if that wasn’t the case,” he said, referring to the PGA Tour pros who required permission to be granted to compete this week at the Saudi International, where they can receive show-up money and skip out on the AT&T Pebble Pro-Am, one of the longest-running sponsors on Tour and host of not one but two events (also the AT&T Byron Nelson in Dallas in May.)

Westwood also confirmed he’s not much for watching professional golf on TV. He finds the endless loop of 72-hole stroke-play competition to be tiresome. (Of that he’s not wrong, but we digress.)

“I think golf has got to move with the times and become more heat-of-the-moment, volatile and impactful right from the word go,” he said.

Another player who seems to support the Super Golf League’s team-play concept is former World No. 1 Dustin Johnson.

“I think it’s a really good concept. I think it makes it a little more interesting for the fans and for the players,” he said. “Yeah, I like the concept.”

Would he be tempted to take part?

“We’ll see,” Johnson said.

That’s about as non-committal as it gets. Johnson isn’t quite the pro that Mickelson is at dodging the questions he doesn’t want to answer as shown in the closing questions that rounded out his press conference.

On the Super League thing, the Daily Telegraph in London is reporting this morning that Ian Poulter has been offered £22 million (which is about $30 million) to jump, if you like.

Q: Have you had a similar offer or is that something that you’re keeping under your hat?

A: “I can’t speak for Ian. Yeah, I’m sure they’re. … well, yeah, obviously whether they have or haven’t, I’m not allowed to disclose. You’d have to ask Ian on that one,” Johnson said.

Q: But you haven’t had a similar offer?

A: No, not similar. (Laughter.) It’s just not similar.

What that means is anyone’s guess. For now, the game of chicken continues and no one is enjoying his leverage more than Mickelson.