19th Hole
Phil Mickelson’s LIV Golf sign-on fee is revealed as he’s now expected to miss PGA Championship
To clear up the most recent speculation, Phil Mickelson’s agents recently released a statement confirming his intention to defend his PGA Championship and take part in the US Open, the latter being the only major he has yet to win.
SportFive agency representative Steve Loy made the official announcement that:
“Our client Phil Mickelson is officially registered to play in the PGA Championship as well as the U.S. Open. We have also filed a request on his behalf for a release to play in the first LIV Golf Invitational in London, June 9 – 11. This request complies with the deadline of April 25 set forth by the PGA Tour to compete in a conflicting tour event.”
The statement continued with less certainty:
“Phil currently has no concrete plans on when and where he will play. Any actions taken are in no way a reflection of a final decision made, but rather to keep all options open.”
As per the statement, the 51-year-old has also officially requested a release from the PGA Tour in order to play at the opening event of the LIV Golf Invitational Series, something that a report in The Telegraph suggest has riled the PGA of America with the possible result that he is forced to withdraw from the defence at Southern Hills.
With the inaugural tournament taking place at the Centurion Club in London just a week before that illusive major at Brookline, and the increasing threat of legal action between the two sides, there is also speculation Mickelson may not attempt to complete the career grand slam.
The six-time major winner has had a torrid few months.
Initially promoting the Saudi golf league, a released conversation with a renown golf reporter revealed he believed he could use the threat of the new tour as leverage against the PGA Tour against their stance on media rights.
That led to something of a ‘no-man’s-land’ for Mickelson with the PGA Tour taking a stern stance against his comments, players distancing themselves from the lucrative prize-money on offer, and LIV chairman, Greg Norman, having to rehash initial plans.
The resulting furore led to Mickelson taking a self-enforced break from the PGA Tour and Norman admitting that:
“It was a kick in the teeth. There’s no question about it. It was a gut punch – we were so close. On that Tuesday we had our strength of field ready to go and the PGA Tour heard about this and threw a giant redwood tree in our roadway. And they did. There’s no question about it. They created a disruption by putting that information out, all those comments about Phil out there.”
With the latest statement seeming to confirm that the Saudi-backed tour has welcomed back Mickelson with an open-door policy, The Telegraph report that the 51-year-old received $30m up front and must appear in each Series event or accept the penalty of paying back a percentage of that fee and more.
Whilst PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan has suggested he will grant leave to tour members in order for them to play at the opener taking place opposite the Canadian Open, further agreement looks in doubt as the following events clash with the John Deere Classic and Rocket Mortgage Classic before three of the last five events also take place in the USA.
Last week, world number 1053, Robert Garrigus, confirmed his agreement to play in London, and whilst that caused a minor ripple, speculation then ramped up who has also agreed to play alongside Mickelson in June and beyond. Names such as Louis Oosthuizen, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Lee Westwood and Paul Casey have been banded about with suspicious regularity and with the opener just six weeks away, the rumour mill can only get more frenetic.
As for Mickelson, the year doesn’t seem to get any less cloudy and reporters continue to watch every move, with the veteran spotted on the course this week ahead of his expected comeback.
Rumors of Phil Mickelson’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. He had plenty of speed yesterday at Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club. pic.twitter.com/N3NhqwEA6v
— Fire Pit Collective (@firepitstories) April 28, 2022
It seems as if there is a fair way to go yet before any conclusion to this story.
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19th Hole
3-time PGA Tour winner calls for LIV to buy Champions Tour to fix ‘joke’ purses
While speaking on the Subpar podcast, former PGA Tour winner and current PGA Tour Champions player Chris DiMarco said he hopes LIV buys the Champions Tour.
“We’re kind of hoping that LIV buys the Champions Tour,” he said.
“Let’s play for a little real money out here. I mean this is kind of a joke when we’re getting $2 million. There were like seven guys last week from TPC (Sawgrass, at the $25 million PLAYERS Championship) that made more money than our purses.”
In 2024, the Champions Tour had a total of $67 million in prize money over the course of 24 events.
DiMarco also defended LIV players for taking the money and said he would take it also.
“They wanted to play for a lot of money, and they deserve it. They have had some great careers, why not go and get some money?”
DiMarco also offered insight on Graeme McDowell’s move to LIV.
“I saw Graeme McDowell at the Old Memorial Pro Member, and he goes, ‘Listen, I went up to Jay Monahan and said I love the tour but I am struggling to keep my card and these guys are offering me all this money and less golf. I’m sorry, I’m going.’ And I do not blame him one bit, and I said I would have too.”
DiMarco was ranked as high as 6th in the world in 2006.
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19th Hole
‘It won’t win you golf tournaments’ – Golf analyst rips Charley Hull’s course management
Charley Hull came just short of her third LPGA Tour victory over the weekend at the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship when she played her last two holes at 3 over to slip all the way to 10th on the leaderboard.
After the round, Hull was blasted by Sky Sports commentator and former LPGA Tour player Trish Johnson for her lack of golf course management.
While speaking on the Sky Sports Golf podcast, Johnson spoke harshly of Hull.
“I’m probably her harshest critic, because I know how good she is. She doesn’t win anywhere near enough for her talent, and she doesn’t get involved enough, in all honestly.
“The thing with Charley is that you’re never going to change her. I read something the other day that said how much she loves the game and it’s her love of the game [that costs her]. She’s never going to change and she’s just going to go for every pin.
“In theory that’s great, but it won’t win you golf tournaments, it just won’t because she’s not that much better than anybody else. If you put Charley against Nelly Korda, then I’m picking Nelly every single day of the week.”
Johnson also made a fascinating comparison between Hull and a famous male golfer, John Daly.
“Golf-wise that’s the way she plays the game and it’s a little bit like watching John Daly I suppose.”
“There’s something that John Daly had that made him a major winner and a winner, but Charley is kind of lacking that. Her talent is not in question, but maybe her application is. Maybe it’s just the case of her never changing and that will cost her golf tournaments, there’s no two ways about it. You cannot go for every pin because that’s the way you play and it being fun, as other players are better than that and you have to have course management.”
Hull is still only 27, and therefore has plenty of time to work on her flaws to achieve the success her talent should allow.
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19th Hole
Former agent lifts lid on being fired by ‘zombie’ Tiger Woods
Discussing his new book “Rainmaker” with the Daily Mail, Tiger Woods’ former agent, Hughes Norton, recounted the events leading up to and after his split with the 15-time major champion.
Norton was abruptly fired by Woods in 1998 after his 1997 Masters win and monster deal with Nike.
In the book, Norton talks about the way Tiger views his relationships, calling him a “zombie.”
“The solace I can take, which doesn’t provide much, is this: He was an equal opportunity zombie with relationships, his swing coaches, his lawyer, the guy negotiated the IMG representation deal, with caddies, When it’s over, it’s over.”
Norton added:
“It is the way he terminates relationships with everyone. Whether it’s girlfriends, whether it’s his former golf coaches. It’s ironic, really. In a way he’s so good at confrontation on the golf course. If he’s playing you, he will beat your brains out every single time.
“But when it comes to confronting things like me and other people that are in his life, he has no social skills whatsoever. It’s maddening, actually.”
After he was fired by Woods, Norton was let go by IMG, which he believes was due to Woods’ influence.
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