Phil Mickelson was one of the first “villains” in golf when LIV first started to poach top golfers from the PGA Tour. He was crucial in launching the Saudi-backed tour and accepted a lot of money to do so.
As a result, the opinion of Mickelson quickly soured among a large contingency of both golf fans and athletes alike. They labeled him as a traitor. They said that he was ruining the sport.
Many of those thoughts continue to linger. Mickelson, perhaps the second-biggest name behind Tiger Woods in the “modern era” of golf, is no longer held on the same pedestal he once was.
He knows that. Phil Mickelson is self-aware.
The 53-year-old lefty spoke to some of the distaste during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. It was in context of the upcoming Ryder Cup, which will be held at Bethpage Black in 2025.
Mickelson understands that he is not the best candidate to be named captain.
I don’t feel I’m the right guy to be involved with the team because I’m a very divisive character right now. I understand the players on the PGA Tour, there’s a lot of hostilities toward me.
— Phil Mickelson on the Pat McAfee Show
He repeatedly used the word “divisive” about himself. He is conscious of the outside opinions.
It was the first time that Mickelson has really admitted to being something of a controversial figure.
Even though he was just answering the question that he was asked, for Mickelson to take himself out of the running for a position he wouldn’t have received was pretty funny. There was no chance that he was going to be named captain.
There was once an overwhelming belief that Mickelson would be in line to captain the U.S. team at the Ryder Cup in 2025. He knows the course well and has been part of the Ryder Cup as a player 12 times and as a vice captain once.
The move to LIV changed that thought process. It was pretty much decided that Mickelson would not be the captain as soon as he left the PGA Tour. Ain’t happening.