The hidden truth about Phil Mickelson at the Ryder Cup which could have completely changed LIV Golf

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Phil Mickelson will always be remembered as one of the greatest Ryder Cup players that the United States has ever had.

Mickelson made a record 12 Ryder Cup appearances from 1995 in New York to 2018 in Paris and scored 21.5 points in total.

However, the LIV Golf star did not always produce his best golf at the event, including when alongside Tiger Woods.

One former Ryder Cup captain has explained how Mickelson let Woods and his teammates down over two decades ago.

• READ MORE: Maverick McNealy reacts on Instagram after being left off America’s Ryder Cup team by Keegan Bradley

Hal Sutton blasts Phil Mickelson for 2004 Ryder Cup antics

The United States were favorites to win the 2004 Ryder Cup because not only were they at home, but they had the two best players (Woods and Mickelson).

USA captain Hal Sutton made the controversial decision to play the two PGA Tour rivals together in both sessions on Friday, and it backfired terribly.

Woods and Mickelson lost both matches, which set the tone for America’s record-breaking 18.5-9.5 defeat at Oakland Hills.

Sutton does not accept responsibility for pairing them together; instead he blames Mickelson for playing poorly after changing his golf clubs.

“Here’s the truth,” he told Bunkered. “If the guys don’t play well, you can’t pair past that. It’s impossible to pair past poor play.

Phil Mickelson’s record at the 2004 Ryder Cup

“From the outset, Phil asked me ten times a day who he was going to be paired with. He knew he was disadvantaged because he didn’t know how far the ball was going, he didn’t know what his clubs were doing.

“He wanted help. He was really wanting help. I look back at that and I think, you know what, we should have cut them clean.

“On the Wednesday, he was out on the other course to try and figure how far the ball was going. He wasn’t even going to play golf. He didn’t play a practice round that day.

“I said to him, ‘There’s 35,000 people here to watch Phil Mickelson play and you’re going to go out on the other golf course?’”

2004 Ryder Cup situation could have impacted Phil Mickelson’s LIV Golf career

21 years later, Sutton remains frustrated by Mickelson’s behavior when he was United States captain at the 2004 Ryder Cup.

He believes that Mickelson’s selfishness epitomized why the USA were inferior to the Europeans at the team event.

Sutton even suggested that Mickelson might not have been such a huge target for LIV Golf had everyone known about his controversial antics.

“The Ryder Cup requires you not to be selfish,” he continued. “That’s the difference between the European and the American teams. They come together. It definitely hurt.

“All I can tell you is I was glad when the week was over with. I honestly don’t think I have the courage to say what I really think [about Mickelson].

“Had the PGA of America told the real story, I wonder if LIV would have carried the weight that it did with Phil. It might have changed the whole course of the way things went.”