Phil Mickelson’s name has sparked arguments for years. His move to LIV and vocal support of the Saudi-backed league have been a topic of debate, not just among golf fans and commentators, but also among many golfers. They perceive his switch to LIV to be wrong, while the others think that he had the right to make his choice. Amidst this to and fro, Phil Mickelson’s biographer has revealed why Lefty should get credit for Scottie Scheffler and other PGA Tour pros’ hefty paychecks.

Golf writer and author Alan Shipnuck knows the 6x major winner better than many others. In a recent conversation on ‘Pablo Torre Finds Out,’ Shipnuck pulled back the curtain on a side of the sport’s upheaval that fans don’t get to see. The shifts in power and the money pouring into tournaments were all because of Phil Mickelson.

“The tour spent $75 million to build this headquarters. They had hundreds of millions of dollars in reserves. And then LiV Golf arrives, they turn the spigot on, and all of a sudden, the players are getting paid twice as much as they used to. Phil was right about that, too. And so, on the merits, he could be vindicated. He could be the hero to every professional golfer because he tripled their salaries,” Alan Shipnuck said on ‘Pablo Torre Finds Out.’

Phil Mickelson was right to say that golfers on the PGA Tour should be compensated more. And the PGA Tour had the means to do so. However, until LIV arrived, the prize money on the PGA Tour events was much lower than what it is today. For instance, the total prize money on the PGA Tour in 2021 was $367 million. It increased by $60 million to $427 million in 2022. The board announced this rise in November 2021, following the establishment of LIV.

The prize pool for many events increased significantly over the course of a year. For instance, the FedEx St. Jude Invitational and the BMW Championship prize pools increased from $9.5 million to $15 million. Today, both events boast a prize pool of a whopping $20 million. The same increase was seen across many other events on the schedule.

If elite golfers like Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and others hadn’t joined LIV for the money, the PGA Tour might not have taken these steps.

Another thing that Alan Shipnuck credits Phil Mickelson for is giving golfers more control. “Like his two main talking points to me were that the players needed more say in their governance on the PGA Tour. And you saw that when Jay Monahan, the commissioner, sold them all out and created this backroom deal with the Saudis. And ever since then, there has been so much outrage. They’ve blown the whole thing up. They’ve given the players more seats on the board. The players now run the PGA Tour,” Shipnuck said.

Jay Monahan had struck a deal with the PIF governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, in 2023. The deal was so secretive that even LIV’s then-CEO, Greg Norman, had no idea about it. He found out just five minutes before Monahan and Al-Rumayyan announced it publicly. Many golfers, including Rory McIlroy, Collin Morikawa, and even Jon Rahm, were angry with the decision.

Phil Mickelson had a controversial manner of handling these changes. However, his legacy includes changing the financial landscape of professional golf and empowering players with governance rights. And this was not the only time he handled things controversially. Over the years, Mickelson has been part of many controversies. The most recent one is his involvement in insider trading.

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Phil Mickelson is accused of insider trading

Investigative outlet Hunterbrook published a report in late October 2025. The report alleged that Sable Offshore selectively shared material non‑public information with a small group of investors, including Mickelson. Leaked screenshots and messages cited in that report show Mickelson telling a private X investor group about restarting production details.

The report also described a leaked call. During the call, Sable’s CEO, Jim Flores, discussed a “west coast game” with “a certain left‑handed golfer” and a high‑level U.S. official. Flores suggested a plan to lobby for federal help that could dramatically improve Sable’s prospects. The official publicly denied any such plans or knowledge of Sable.

U.S. insider‑trading law focuses on trading on material non‑public information or benefiting from tipping others. The report dropped alongside warnings that Sable would likely have to raise about $200–225 million in dilutive equity to extend a key loan with Exxon. The combined news contributed to Sable’s stock plunging by roughly 15–20% in a single trading session. However, the 55-year-old denied all accusations.

“So a company says I can’t say anything to you, but we will announce something at the close,” Mickelson said. “I don’t know if it’s a dilution, and the stock goes down, or a deal for the stock to go up. I have to wait to see what the info is; I make no trades whatsoever and am ultra, ultra careful given past history.”

In fact, Lefty asked Hunterbrook if they had traded Sable’s stock. Their report plunged Sable’s stock, so Phil Mickelson was curious if the company shared the report on purpose to ride the price drop. Mickelson even warned of legal action against Hunterbrook and anyone who reposts the article.

Phil Mickelson’s impact on modern golf continues to spark debate. However, even his critics can see how his actions pushed the sport into a new financial era.