Phil Mickelson is currently preparing himself for another LIV Golf challenge, with the former PGA Tour star taking on LIV Golf Hong Kong this week.
Mickelson is angry at PGA Tour return rumours involving Brooks Koepka, with the pair having both joined LIV Golf in 2022.
Laurie Canter thinks Mickelson’s defection caused a sudden change in golf, with the American having been a very high-profile PGA Tour member at the time.
A former world number two, Mickelson won 45 times on the PGA Tour before making the controversial move to the Saudi-backed tour.
The American is a six-time major championship winner, but currently occupies 36th place in the LIV individual standings.
Phil Mickelson says ‘incredible’ LIV Golf experience is better than PGA Tour
The HyFlyers GC captain joined LIV CEO Scott O’Neil for a press conference ahead of the event this week, with the pair having discussed the progress they’ve seen on the tour.
Turning to Mickelson, O’Neil said: “That’s one thing I wanted to ask you about because you said this to me the first day I met you. I don’t know if you remember.
“I said, what’s the difference between a LIV Golf experience and a PGA Tour golf experience? Do you remember what you said?”
Mickelson replied: “Yeah. First of all, it’s an incredible experience, but you walk away feeling like you had fun rather than being anxious not wanting to upset the players or making sure the kids are always in the right spot.
“It’s much more relaxed to where the whole family comes, enjoys the experience. There’s a kid zone where if they get tired they can go lay down, they can play.”
O’Neil interjected: “I might lay down there, as well,” with Mickelson responding: “I get it. We’re all kids at heart. The overall fan experience is what LIV has done the best I’ve ever seen.”
Phil Mickelson praise for LIV Golf arrives amid PGA Tour difficulties
The leading stars of LIV Golf are seemingly very happy with their experience so far, as is its new CEO O’Neil.
Whether all golf fans feel the same is another debate entirely, but the praise from Mickelson does come at a time when the PGA Tour is in danger of losing support.
READ MORE: What Dustin Johnson texted Phil Mickelson straight after he won The Masters back in 2020
A handful of negative issues have appeared in recent times, with slow play perhaps top of the pile in terms of problems the PGA Tour needs to conquer sooner rather than later.
Controversial sponsor exemptions and course difficulty levels have also come into play at times this season.
The rival tours are, of course, attempting to reach some form of solution, but for now they remain separate entities, and are likely to continue to try outdoing one another.
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