When you look at the LIV Golf landscape right now, few players are bigger advocates for the PIF-backed tour than Phil Mickelson.
Mickelson was one of the big names to make the jump to LIV and he’s been banging the drum ever since about just how good things are over there compared to the PGA Tour.
Indeed, Mickelson recently claimed the whole LIV experience is better than the PGA as he continued to big up the people who pay his wages.
However, more recently, Mickelson has been in the headlines for making other claims.
Mickelson has said that Scottie Scheffler won’t win on the PGA Tour in 2025, while he also claimed Joaquin Niemann should be world number one.
Needless to say, his comments have caused quite the reaction.
What the PGA Tour think about Phil Mickelson ever returning
While Mickelson did say he was just having a bit of fun at the time, his comments seemed poignant enough to have seriousness to them and they’ve ultimately led to discussion among golf media.
However, according to prominent golf analyst Rex Hoggard, Mickelson is basically talking himself out of ever being welcomed back on the PGA Tour.
Speaking on the latest episode of Rex and Lav, Hoggard suggested Mickelson is bottom of the pile of LIV players in terms of a return.
“It is interesting, and here is the context I wanted to get at, I did a story last week on Laurie Canter, who you know very well from the DP World Tour. He was the first former LIV player to play in a non-major, non-co-sanctioned PGA Tour last week at the Players Championship,” Hoggard said.
“And speaking with him, as he had never been a member of the PGA Tour, so this suspension, his penance was essentially a year from his last LIV event until he could actually play in a PGA Tour event – which turned out to be around February of this year, right after the Mexico Open.
“It was interesting to me because as a non-member, the tour has created that pathway for these players.
“But speaking with people behind the scenes, it’s clear that the pathway for those who were members before they left to go to LIV is going to vary. It’s going to be a la carte, and this is probably, along with a lot of other things, going to put Phil probably at the bottom of that category as far as if he ever would want to come back to the PGA Tour, I’m not even quite sure, even if we end up with some kind of agreement, even if we end up with unification, I don’t know that Phil would ever be welcome back.”
Phil Mickelson told he’s living in a ‘LIV bubble’ after Scottie Scheffler comments
Joining Hoggard on the show and discussion on Mickekson was Todd Lewis, another golf analyst.
Lewis, though, was a touch harsher in his assessment as he effectively told Mickelson he was completely wrong.
“That is not a very wise take. Obviously, Phil is living in some kind of LIV bubble, and there’s some times where he’s very wise and poignant over his career – he’s actually said some intelligent things. This is not one of them,” Mickelson said.
“I think Joaquin Niemann is a talent, there’s no doubt about it, but if you’re going to go out and you’re going to beat half the players on LIV in three rounds in an event that really doesn’t have the intensity like the Players this past weekend – or actually, any of the nine tournaments that Scheffler won last year worldwide, maybe with the exception of Hero, there’s only 20 in that one so I’ll give him a pass on that one, but Phil, what are you talking about?
“Scottie Scheffler led the PGA Tour in more than two dozen statistical categories last year, including scoring average, money won – which was close to $65 million. This guy, he had everything, and he had a phenomenal year. I don’t know where he’s getting this from, but good on you for making us talk about it Phil.”
Mickelson has come back to form on the LIV Tour recently and will come face to face with his old PGA Tour compatriots at The Masters next month.
Receive exclusive golf news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
