Phil Mickelson carries 30 years of PGA Tour experience on his shoulders. That, and 45 Tour wins and 6 majors during his time as a member of the circuit. But ask him to describe his experience with the Tour in a word, he’d use the word “anxious.” He says the Tour made him feel overwhelmed with the barrage of activities, so much so that “I would be anxious and not want to go. I’d go as late as I could,” he explains at LIV’s 2025 Team Championship.

In an X post, he reiterated these thoughts, “I could go into the details of everything I had to do for the tour, sponsors, fans, media and more and we could argue over details and such but you can’t argue with how I feel.” Much of his love for the sport, Mickelson says, “was being overshadowed by all the bs and I found myself dreading it. On LIV I can’t wait get get here and it’s the same for every player out here. That’s a fact that is indisputable.” 

His stance on his current league, LIV Golf, is much better, however. Following his subtle jibe at the workings of the American circuit, Mickelson stated, “At a LIV event, I can’t wait to get here. I come earlier. I can’t wait to get here. The experience from a player’s standpoint, it’s better than I could have ever imagined.” By his side, both Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson appear to nod their heads in agreement.

And Mickelson’s isn’t wrong. For example, when it comes to the number of events, the PGA Tour blows LIV Golf out of the water. The PGA Tour typically runs around 36 to 39 official tournaments every year. On the flip side, LIV Golf’s got a way smaller slate with roughly 14 events per season. That’s certainly less stressful.

On the other hand, Phil Mickelson has always been open about the distress he has felt during his time on the Tour. Back in early 2022, Mickelson blasted the PGA Tour over media rights, calling their approach “obnoxious greed.” He said players can’t tap into their own media rights while the Tour rakes in billions on digital assets, charging for footage of players’ shots.

Mickelson gave his own example to make a point, revealing he shelled out $1 million per “The Match” appearance just for rights to his own shots. A year later, he toned down his comments and praised the newly announced $20M “signature events” on the Tour, saying, “I think it’s a good model to follow, and I’m glad that they are,” and that “I’m really happy with the way LIV has brought about new change to the game.” 

But why does Mickelson’s recent statement stand out so much? It’s all because of the timing of it. Just days ago at East Lake, PGA Tour CEO Brian Rolapp shared updates (or the lack of them) about the merger: “I have not spoken to anyone from the Public Investment Fund.” Rolapp reminded the golf world that he has been on the Tour for only “three weeks,” and his “focus has obviously been on the TOUR and focusing on the TOUR and in learning and starting to develop a bit of a vision for the future.”

Evidently, regardless of a potential merger, it is undeniable that Phil Mickelson has a love-hate thing going on with the PGA Tour. He’s been outspoken about the issues plaguing the American circuit – and at the same time, he’s hyped up LIV Golf for shaking things up in the golf world. Interestingly, though, he isn’t the only Tour deserter to favor LIV Golf over the Tour, and Bryson DeChambeau is just one of them.

Bryson DeChambeau says LIV Golf is “intense” and that’s a good thing

Bryson DeChambeau’s really vibed with LIV Golf – he says it’s been a blast playing in the league. He loves the whole experience – walking around the complex, the fan village, feeling like part of the entertainment. “Then just walking around the complex and having the fan village and feeling like you’re a part of the entertainment is a little different. So there’s numerous reasons why this league’s a lot different, a lot more fun from my perspective. It’s intense,” DeChambeau said at the 2025 Team Championship.

LIV Golf’s format and vibe seem to be ticking a lot of boxes for DeChambeau. The events are high-energy with concerts, fan zones, and a shotgun start that adds excitement. It’s drawing big crowds – like over 85,000 at LIV Golf Adelaide in 2025 – and engaging younger fans with music and social media content.

Having joined LIV Golf around the same time as Phil Mickelson, he feels plenty of exciting things are happening at LIV Golf. And he wants to be a part of it all. “They see the value in me. I see the value in what they can provide, and I believe we’ll come to some sort of resolution on that. Super excited for the future,” he explained at the 2025 U.S. Open.

So Mickelson and DeChambeau haven’t been shy about LIV Golf – their recent comments aren’t really a surprise but more like a reminder of the issues still plaguing the PGA Tour.