Phil Mickelson’s HyFlyers GC recently sustained a blow, as one of its players got relegated from the league. He spoke about this and more in a recent conversation uploaded by the LIV Golf YouTube Channel. 

The youngest of the lot had a good rapport with the team apparently, and Mickelson described how much the team will miss the lad. Lefty reminisced about the team’s vibe in the recently completed season. He also commented on the future of the young golfer. 

Phil Mickelson already misses the moustache-man 

The HyFlyers GC is one of the four LIV Golf teams that finished in the Tier-2 list this season. In the final round of the ultimate Miami Event, the team finished last in the Tier-2 group and ended up in the 8th position.

On the individual side, James Piot, the 25-year-old member of HyFlyers, was one of the four golfers relegated from the league this season. This relegation was based on a ranking of all the 48 players in the league.

Speaking of Piot, Mickelson couldn’t help but smile widely. “We call him a young master riot,” he fondly mentioned. “He’s just funny, great energy, and we’re gonna miss him.” The 53-year-old admitted that Piot couldn’t play the way he wanted to this year. However, Lefty reiterated Piot was a good addition to the team. 

Lefty also spoke about how the rest of the team is planning to keep in touch with him. He said, “we really think a lot of him and are still, like I say invested in success and want to do everything we can to help them succeed and hope that he calls us and asks us to help out and then we’re going to call him.”

He said they would be practicing with him from time-to-time, and help him develop. Phil Mickelson added that this could be a good thing for the young golfer. The 45-time PGA Tour pro believes that Piot could use the rough tumble that comes with finding his way back to LIV.

The rough patch that lies ahead for James Piot

There are two ways for James Piot and the other three relegated LIV golfers, including Chase Koepka, to play again for LIV. They will have to compete in the relegation tournament in late November and secure one of three spots to qualify. Or earn the fourth spot by reaching the top position in the Asian Tour. 

The relegation tournament will have a three-step competition to select three players in the end. The first step will make a cut and allow top players and ties to proceed to the second step. The second step will allow the top 16 players to compete in the final round. 

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The format for this tournament will also be tougher. Instead of a 54-hole round, as LIV usually does, the competition will have a 72-hole round for the first step. In the second step, the scores will reset for 18 more holes. And the third step would be a traditional stroke-play event. 

As Phil Mickelson said, James Piot may have a rough patch ahead of him, but probably he will emerge a much more resilient player. 

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