Remember Phil Mickelson and his “scary motherf—ers” statement against LIV Golf? It all blew up after Alan Shipnuck’s unauthorized biography on Mickelson dropped, revealing Mickelson’s blunt remarks about the Saudis. He called them “scary motherf—ers,” yet decided to stick with them. This didn’t just ruffle feathers about Mickelson’s otherwise solid golf legacy – it also put LIV Golf’s shaky first year in the hot seat.

And that happened in a way you’d least expect. If you expected that at all. Former LIV golf pro, Lauri Canter, talked about it on the Life on Tour Podcast. Canter blamed that particular Phil Mickelson-Shipnuck controversy as the reason the Saudi league failed to attract more pros from the PGA Tour. Yes, more than it already had. “I think the Phil Mickelson thing happened with, um, the journalist. Being honest, I think a lot of the guys then pulled out and said, “I’ve got to move out,” Canter explains.

And as Canter stressed, at least 50 top pros were ready to sign with LIV Golf. Yes, more than the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, among others. Mickelson’s controversy, however, stopped that from happening. It’s quite ironic, however, considering Mickelson was banned by the Tour for recruiting Tour pros for the “winning side,” i.e, LIV Golf.

Still, the league needed some players to kick off its run, and so it turned to pros like Canter. “It basically meant they had to find some players to play in the league for that first year. Um, and I was, I think, I just got top 100 in the world. I was kind of within that, um, sphere, if you like,” Canter says.

But Canter had plenty of reasons to sign up. And quick. During the time LIV Golf launched with its $25M purse, Canter had clawed his way through the lower tiers for a decade, trying to crack the DP World Tour. He’d gotten in through Q School not once, not twice, but four times. His fourth time, in 2019, right after turning 30, was the one that stuck. After racking up about $1.5 million in two and a half years on the European circuit, LIV Golf’s allure was just too big to ignore.

He admits it now, saying, “I remember my agent phoned me and said, “There is going to be a tournament at Centurion. It’s in six weeks. It’s $25 million, and it’s three rounds of golf.” I was like, “What’s on the same week? And, you know, what are we playing?”” Excited at the chance, Canter replied, “Definitely go and have a game.” In his LIV Golf career, Canter has just earned around $6M.

However, regarding his views, Mickelson later issued a public apology, calling his words “reckless,” expressing regret over his choice, and emphasizing that he intended to support players and the sport, not to harm anyone.

But, regardless, this isn’t the first time Canter has blamed Mickelson for that first-year mishap in LIV Golf. In February, during a Sliced Golf Podcast appearance, the pro said, “I think LIV had a lot of the top 50 guys ready to commit to play, certainly some events. Then the Phil Mickelson stuff happened and I think that changed things.” On the other hand, this isn’t the only reason Mickelson is facing heat in recent times. And yes, that, too, has to do with LIV Golf.

LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson, and Eddie Pepperell’s stance on LIV Golf money

English professional golfer Eddie Pepperell had some strong words about the current state of golf, particularly about the impact of prize money since LIV Golf’s emergence in 2022. He believes prize money has “eroded” a lot of what’s good at the top of the men’s game. Focusing on Phil Mickelson, Pepperell says Mickelson’s presence in the game is “fascinating” but also “very disruptive and not all for the best at the moment.”

He references the image of Mickelson with his “arms around $10 million” after beating Tiger Woods in a pay-per-view match in 2018 as representing golf in 2025. And says that, “That may just be me, but that’s a shame because it [the picture] has eroded a lot of what else is good about the top of men’s professional golf.”

Pepperell told the NCG Golf Podcast, “I respect the top end of professional golf less than I used to, for sure.” However, he criticized the focus on money in the game, saying “money has become a much bigger part of that picture” in recent years. But there have been more important repercussions of such feelings. For instance, Pepperell says that his drive to reach his peak again has “diminished,” partly due to his experiences traveling to America for golf and his views on the game’s current climate.

He said, “The exposure of the charade is spot on. That’s why in life sometimes, some things are best left hidden, even if the underlying motivations aren’t pure.” Players like Phil Mickelson, Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson reportedly got nine-figure deals to join LIV Golf. So, even if Mickelson failed to attract bigger names, he still won. And so did LIV Golf.