LIV Golf star Phil Mickelson is furious with the PGA Tour following a new decision regarding the Americas Tour.
The PGA Tour Americas emerged in 2024 to replace the PGA Tour Canada and Latinoamerica. The circuit offers aspiring players a pathway onto the PGA and Korn Ferry Tours.
A Latin American swing occurs from March to May, followed by a North American swing that takes place from June to September. Each swing includes six events.
Money is tight on the feeder circuit, with many players struggling to make a reasonable living. “I’m running out of money—we all are,” one player told MondayQ. However, a new revenue opportunity has recently emerged.
Phil Mickelson reacts to PGA Tour Americas decision
A brand new par-three league—the Grass League, offering prize money of up to $25,000—started in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Thursday.
Numerous players from the PGA Tour, Champions Tour, Korn Ferry Tour and Americas Tour accepted spots. None, however, were present for the first evening’s action.
The PGA Tour refused to offer media release for any of its players, with the Tour telling its players that they couldn’t play in another televised event in North America.
Mickelson, taking to X on Thursday evening, was furious with the decision. “This is a clear violation of independent contract law,” the six-time major winner wrote. “I’m so sorry these professionals are continuing to be blackmailed by the Tour. It’s not right and is, in fact, illegal.”
A current PGA Tour player also spoke to the MondayQ about the “insane” decision. “It’s insane that they are denying Americas Tour players,” he said. “We are independent contractors when they see fit, and we are employees when they see fit.”
Three times Phil Mickelson has complained about the PGA Tour media rights
Mickelson, who was one of LIV’s biggest signings back in 2022, hasn’t been afraid to take aim at his former employers over the past two years.
In 2023, Mickelson demanded a public apology from the PGA Tour and insisted no LIV players wanted to return to golf’s traditional circuit.
Recently, Mickelson criticised the PGA Tour’s media rights, suggesting that players like Bryson DeChambeau, who has gained popularity on YouTube, would have faced restrictions if he had stayed with the PGA Tour.
The lefty also slammed the authorities before his move to LIV Golf in 2022. “There are many issues, but that is one of the biggest,” Mickelson told Golf Digest on the PGA Tour’s media rights. “For me personally, it’s not enough that they are sitting on hundreds of millions of digital moments.
“They also have access to my shots, access I do not have. They also charge companies to use shots I have hit. And when I did ‘The Match’—there have been five of them—the Tour forced me to pay them $1 million each time. For my own media rights. That type of greed is, to me, beyond obnoxious.”
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