Phil Mickelson joined LIV Golf in 2022 and was one of the first big names to make the switch

Phil Mickelson couldn’t help but aim a cheeky dig the way of his rival players over on the PGA Tour, with the LIV Golf man joking he’s happy to see players on both sides finally paid what they deserve

Phil Mickelson joined LIV Golf in 2022 and was one of the first big names to make the switch

Phil Mickelson has admitted that he is ‘happy’ for his rivals over on the PGA Tour, after the six-time major champion had his say on the ever-changing landscape of men’s professional golf with a pointed message at the players he left behind.

Mickelson became the marque name to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in 2022, leading a list of star-studded players after pledging his support behind the Saudi-backed league. This saw his 30-year association with the American-based circuit come to a bitter end, having had his Tour card suspended.

In the wake of the formation of the breakaway circuit, the PGA Tour themselves made a whole host of changes in a bid to thwart off the threat of their LIV rivals and stop more of their big names from following in the footsteps of Mickelson and co.

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Most notably Jay Monahan has introduced a number of ‘Signature Events’ to the PGA Tour schedule, which sees the Tour’s top players compete for a $20 million prize pot, matching the purses of their LIV counterparts. Despite being at the centre of the sour fallout, Mickelson has admitted he is pleased to see his former Tour colleagues benefitting from the changes.

Asked he felt his legacy within the game will be linked to his decision to join LIV, the three-time Masters champion told the league’s Fairway to Heaven podcast: “I sure hope so, because it wasn’t an option – like elevated events and equity in the tour wasn’t an option for the guys that came to LIV.

“And so the fact that we are invested and involved and integrated into the success of LIV – and I’m happy for the guys on the Tour that they now have all that stuff because they should. But where we’re at, we’re attracting a different crowd. And we’re attracting a global crowd.