FIGHT! LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson in fiery exchange with former PGA Tour pro
LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson came out swinging over the weekend.
The topic was once again whether or not rival league players should finally be getting world ranking points.
At this point it's a topic that has become yawn-worthy. You will no doubt have your opinion.
As for Mickelson, he has said that he's not bothered about having points for himself, given that he will be able to compete in three out of the four major championships for the next 13 years and is exempt into all of them until at least 2025.
But Mickelson is making a stand and still very much believes there is 'collusion' taking placed behind closed doors to help get PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan 'all his TV money'.
@LIVGolfNation posted that '50 per cent' of the top golfers in the world play LIV Golf events now.
Former PGA Tour player-turned broadcaster Colt Knost asked for those players to be listed.
Then he asked a 'serious question'.
"Y'all are so upset about the OWGR, if you knew the criteria when you’re starting a tour why wouldn't you just meet it?"
Phil replied:
"Colt. It is not our job. It is the owgr's job to rank ALL the players in the world. Maybe they can do THEIR job and figure it out like they do for multiple tours with hundreds of players not even close to as good.But that would hurt the PGA's revenue from CBS so the leaders won't."
Here's the rest of the exchange:
Colt:
"Respectfully, why did you never lobby for WR points from the start? Why did you not argue for points when you played on pga tour champions?"
Phil:
"Respectfully, I don't need OWGR points nor do I care about them for myself. I’m in 3 majors for the next 13+ years and all four majors through 2025. It’s about doing what’s right and calling out the collusion that’s taking place behind closed doors to help JM get all his tv money."
Colt:
"Yes you are! But you said it's their job to rank ALL players in the world. Just curious why you felt like LIV is more deserving than another tour? If you knew going in you were not going to get points why would y'all have addressed it before the tour started?"
Phil:
"It was addressed and it was made clear the heads of owgr would do everything in their power to shut LIV down by any and all means. Curious why you think LIV is the ONLY tour NOT worthy of points despite so many great players? Because it's a threat is not a valid reason."
Colt:
"There are some great players and I think one day it will get points. But how many? Should LIV Singapore get the same as Wells Fargo? Yes there are some great players. No doubt. But there are also some who couldn't make it on the pga tour and that's why they jumped to LIV."
Phil:
"Same questions can be asked of all tours. You figure it out and continue tweaking as they have been doing for decades. To get ZERO points? It’s obvious to me as to why. It should be to you too. Sadly, it's the protective mechanism CBS and others used in its current contract."
Colt:
"I think if LIV altered their format a little you would be getting points! But how bout we sit down and discuss this and more in person. I happen to have a show we could do it on! A show which you told me in the past you would be on! Happy to fly wherever you would like and dive in."
Ben joined GolfMagic as Content Executive in September 2021 just before the Ryder Cup and has contributed significantly to the growth of the site. Ben now assumes our Content Manager role, specialising in PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf content.
