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Amid His Blunt Denial on the Jon Rahm Issue, Phil Mickelson Still Remains the Strongest LIV Golf Architect

Published 11/26/2023, 1:26 PM EST

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via Reuters

LIV Golf’s two seasons have been nothing less than shaky. Though the league’s first season occurred in 2022, it was established in 2021, and its start was just as rocky. Phil Mickelson is now a huge LIV loyalist, but that was not always the case. Mickelson almost canceled the Saudi league before it even began. His viral comments calling Saudis “scary motherf*****” went viral. Lefty’s comments caused huge turmoil in the golf world, but all of it was settled when he officially announced his move to LIV Golf in June 2022. The saga sure did not end at that.

The 6x major winner’s switch to the backway league was criticized very much, and it continued that way since he hasn’t had a single win in the two seasons. His winless drought did not make him question his decision to leave his PGA Tour legacy behind, as he is still standing strong with LIV Golf’s support.

In October, the 53-year-old made some comments about “fielding calls” from players all around the world. He shared that he has been getting calls from many golfers who were inquiring about the Saudi-funded league and wanted to be a part of it. Lefty usually leaves no chance to sing high praises of his beloved LIV and his fellow LIV golfers.

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USA Today via Reuters

During his remarks about getting a lot of calls, he said that golfers are aware of how happy and enjoyable life is at LIV. Lefty never misses a moment to praise LIV’s team aspect. He also shared at that time that the proportion of spots available and players who wish to join the league is off. “So there’s a lot of players that see that and want to be a part of it. The question is: how many spots are available? There’s a lot more players that want to come than have spots,” said the 53-year-old.

Even during the recent hardships that the Saudi League has been in, for instance, OWGR denial and rule changes pertaining to major tournaments, Mickelson has not backed out and has stood his ground in favor of LIV Golf firmly. Recently, Jon Rahm’s probable switch to LIV Golf and Mickelson’s and Alan Shipnuck’s feud surrounding the switch have been making headlines in the golf fraternity.

A synopsis of Phil Mickelson’s denial pertaining to Jon Rahm’s LIV Golf switch

Just a couple of days ago, speculation broke down that the 2023 Masters winner was in the final stages of his deal worth $600 million with LIV Golf. Adding fuel to the fire, Lefty’s archnemesis’, posted on his Twitter account that the former has been telling people that Rahm’s deal with LIV is a “done deal.” Not only this, but Shipnuck also referred to the 45X PGAT winner as a “relentless salesman.” In his response, Mickelson sure had some things to say!

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Clapping back at Shipnuck for his alleged lies, the veteran golfer said that he was not aware of anything happening in the Rahm-LIV drama and that Shipnuck was a “worst liar and a pathetic human.” The accusations between the two did not end there.

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USA Today via Reuters

One Twitter user asked the author if he had seen Mickelson’s tweet, and he replied affirmatively but with a few extra remarks. Shipnuck called the former PGAT pro’s tweet typically sociopathic” and said that the golfer wildly overreacted to the matter. Not backing down from his earlier claims, Shipnuck said,Phil knows the truth. The people he’s told (who are influential in the golf world) know the truth. It’s whatever.” The veteran golfer sure was not having any of it as he reverted back to Shipnuck with equal force. Phil Mickelson asked his archnemesis to share his sources and called him a liar again.

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Whether the Spanish golfer joins LIV Golf or not, one thing has become a known fact: Phil Mickelson is not the one to back out, and sure, he is one of the strongest architects of LIV Golf. Stay tuned to find out if Rahm makes it to the Saudi League or just stays put on the PGA Tour.

Watch This Story | How Old Was Phil Mickelson When He Won His First Major

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Written by:

Riya Singhal

600Articles

One take at a time

After successfully establishing myself as a valuable team member and writer for the organization and the golf division, I, Riya Singhal, have now taken on the role of a Content Analyst at EssentiallySports. In my second inning here, I continue to write for the golf division just as zealously as before. One of my biggest moments in ES came during my early days, when my piece about Brooks Koepka?s heartwarming gestures towards a young fan at the Masters quickly rose to the top of the charts.
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Edited by:

Sheldon Pereira

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