Phil is facing the golf media in the lead-up to the U.S. Open and it isn't pretty. The press has faced more moderation and censorship from people who have also been paid to act as the faces of the new Saudi golf league. There is a fair game at the Country Club.
The Open gives us an inside look at the ever-widening divide in the golf world as two groups come together on a single course. Tensions are already high at the major, with the split being the focus of just about every waking moment there, whether the golfer likes it or not, and several pros have not been quiet about their opinions on the new Saudi-funded league.
Jon Rahm told the press that he plays for the love of the game and that money is great, but he could retire with what he has made. He talked about how important the golf tournaments are to him. The most outspoken critic to date said that young golfers joining the new league were taking the easy way out and that their tournaments didn't mean anything. Kevin Na, one of the early defectors, was ignored by the other players.
Reporters and fans were dying to hear from the man they were dying to see. Lefty was forced to go on the defensive about his choice to sign on with LIV for $200 million and knowingly risk a lifetime ban from the PGA Tour. It was more of a challenge to get up there and answer these questions after his famous statement.
A reporter read a letter from 9/11 Families United, a group of the family members of the victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks, in which 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia. She asked how he would explain his decision after reading the letter.
He said he had deep, deep empathies for them. I have the deepest of sympathies for them.
Terry Strada responded to his comments in a statement.
Mickleson wanted to understand different opinions and be respected. It's possible that he was standing there for how many times the word was used. He talked about work-life balance despite the fact that he has been allowed to set his own schedule since 2002 and is required to compete in LIV events.
One tour golfer said to call it what it is instead of skating around it. Say, 'If I take the money, I don't care about other countries and other people, I care about my career and my family, and anyone who hasn't been offered this kind of money can't relate'
He doesn't like how it looks, as the 51-year-old takes on his white whale, the one major he hasn't been able to conquer in a long, storied, and successful career. He now looks like he has had all the air taken out of him. This is the retirement plan of a once great champion who has suffered from a gambling addiction. I don't think this is the way he wanted to go, the way he wanted to be remembered, but now he is wondering if this is worth it. It's worth $200 million.
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