Phil Mickelson’s LIV Golf comments speak volumes after Scottie Scheffler statement
Scottie Scheffler has been a standout golfer in 2024, winning three events and the first major of the year, but he’s struggled in the latter part of the season.
Mickelson currently plays with LIV Golf
Phil Mickelson pinpointed precisely what’s been troubling Scottie Scheffler after a run of underwhelming performances as the 2024 PGA Tour draws to an end. Despite a barnstorming start to the year with triumphs at prestigious events such as the Memorial and RBC Heritage – not to mention donning the green jacket at the Masters – World No. 1 Scheffler has watched his form dip alarmingly in the latter stages of the tour
Even as the hot favourite for major success at the PGA Championship, The US Open and The Open at Royal Troon, his best efforts could only muster T8, T41 and T7 finishes respectively – marking a noticeable falloff from his early-season heroics.
Scheffler has continued to struggle, as evidenced by one of his worst outings being the recent BMW Championship at Castle Pines, where he ended up with a +1 at T33 while Keegan Bradley clinched victory at a stunning 12 under. With the PGA Tour finale on the horizon at the revered TOUR Championship at East Lake Golf Club this weekend, Scheffler eyes a return to form amidst a season of fluctuating fortunes.
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The 28-year-old acknowledges the toll the gruelling season has taken. Faced with the query: “Can you talk about how difficult it is coming to the end of a long season? It seems like everyone is dealing with something,” in a press briefing before the tournament, Scheffler said: “Yeah, I would agree with that.
“I think everybody is dealing with a little something at the end of the year. It’s been a long season. Especially now with the way the new schedule is, it really is a sprint to get here. There’s not really places in the schedule to take large breaks. You have the beginning of the year where you’re kind of getting warmed up in a sense, even though you’ve pretty much got to start the year ready to go.
“Then March you have The Players; April, Masters; May, PGA; June, U.S. Open; July you have The Open Championship; and then you come to Augusta and you’ve got the FedExCup Playoffs. There’s not really a time of year where you’re taking a break for us until after the Presidents Cup or the Ryder Cup.
Scheffler hasn’t had the best end to the season (Image: Getty Images)
“It definitely is a little bit of a sprint, and I’m sure people got little aches and pains. But didn’t play all year to just get tired at East Lake and kind of just throw in the towel. It’s good competition this week. I think the golf course is going to be pretty challenging, and it should be a fun week.”
The sentiment voiced concerns similar to those used by Mickelson to justify his support for the controversial LIV Golf league last year, reports the Mirror. Taking to X, the golf veteran said: “Love LIV or hate it, it’s the best way/Tour to be your best in the majors. Enough events to keep you sharp, fresh and ready, yet not be worn down from too many tournaments or obligations.”
He also noted that with 14 LIV events in 2023, players had ample time to refine their skills for the majors. While PGA Tour heavyweights like Rory McIlroy and Tiger Woods have been vocal critics of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf league since its inception in 2021, Scottie Scheffler has maintained a neutral stance.
He respects his peers’ decisions to join the new league but insists on a “caveat” for those wishing to return to the PGA Tour. In February, Scheffler expressed his loyalty to the PGA Tour, saying: “I built my entire career here on the PGA Tour and I wasn’t willing to leave it.
“I dreamt of playing on this tour. Some of the guys that left, maybe that wasn’t for them. But I think that if they want a pathway back, that there should be one, but it definitely shouldn’t just be coming back in the first week they want to come back and play. There should be some sort of caveat to them getting back on our tour.”
Several high-profile golfers have left the PGA Tour to play under the profitable LIV banner, including Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka and this year’s US Open champion, Bryson DeChambeau. However, Mickelson, who is the team captain of HyFlyers GC, hasn’t had the best run with the promotion – currently ranking 44th in the ‘Open Zone’ while his team languishes at 12th (out of 13 positions) on the leaderboards.
