Phil Mickelson is perhaps the most polarising figure in golf today, with the six-time major champion never afraid to put himself in the headlines.
There is no question that Phil Mickelson is one of golf’s greatest entertainers. He remains competitive on LIV Golf even at the age of 55. Of course, he is now the oldest major champion of all-time.
But Mickelson damaged his legacy, in the eyes of many, with how his move to LIV played out. He is also rarely afraid to state his opinion about certain subjects on social media.
And there is one claim Mickelson has now made which one LIV player may not be best pleased with.
The LIV Golf star who has reason to be unhappy with Phil Mickelson
The debate surrounding how playing on LIV impacts a star’s game continues to rumble on. Joaquin Niemann won five times on LIV in 2025 without making any sort of impression in another tournament.
Meanwhile, Cam Smith’s slump continued with a missed cut at the Australian PGA Championship.
But the week at Royal Queensland did end on a high for the breakaway league, with David Puig marking his debut as a full member on the DP World Tour by winning in Brisbane.
Puig confirmed himself as one to watch in the years to come by clinching victory. And one of those to praise the 23-year-old after his win was Mickelson.
Bizarrely, Mickelson put Puig’s short game on the same level as Seve Ballesteros.
Will Phil Mickelson be proven correct with his prediction for David Puig?
Comparing anyone to Ballesteros is a huge statement. But it must hit differently for any Spaniard, particularly when they have just become the first player from that country to win that event since Ballesteros in 1981.
When you add in that it was Puig’s short game that Mickelson was comparing with Ballesteros, it is hard to think of how the praise could have been higher. Ballesteros had a flair and an imagination around the greens which has arguably only been seen in a handful of elite players in the game’s entire history.
Puig would surely be the first to admit that he is not on that level yet.
How David Puig performed around the greens on LIV Golf in 2025
According to Data Golf, Puig lost 0.10 strokes around the greens on LIV in 2025. He was below average in that particular category.
He also lost strokes in 2024.
Puig is still making his way in the game. While he is one of Europe’s brightest talents, he will know that he has a long way to go before he is competing regularly for the biggest prizes in the game.
Who is the best young player on LIV Golf right now?
Ultimately, he is someone awaiting his first win on LIV. He has also never finished higher than 39th in a major.
There is, unfortunately, plenty of time for Mickelson’s comments to seem harmful to the youngster.
Rightly or wrongly, LIV comes in for a lot of ridicule. If Puig does not manage to start winning more regularly, then the league’s critics will be more than happy to point out what Mickelson said.
It just seems that Mickelson could have been full of praise for Puig’s superb victory without making any sort of comparison with perhaps the continent’s greatest ever player.
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