LIV Golf’s future is finally becoming clear. The breakaway league is unlikely to stage another season unless a last-minute investor steps in to rescue it. However, the league’s impending collapse has also put six-time major champion Phil Mickelson under scrutiny. Golf Channel analyst Brandel Chamblee recently took a swipe at the Californian, highlighting his failure to deliver on the promises he made about LIV Golf.
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“The arrogance, Phil Mickelson had a tweet a year or so, two years ago, where he said, ‘This is a chess move. It’s a long game. That was move six. You guys are not going to believe moves 27 through 39.’ You know, portending some ominous event in the future that was going to devastate the PGA Tour and devastate the DP World Tour,” Chamblee told Golf Channel. “And, well, as we know, it did not happen.”
Well, the tweet actually dates back to October 12, 2023. At the time, the six-time major champion was defending LIV Golf after the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) rejected the league’s application for ranking points. The decision dealt a blow to LIV players hoping to improve their chances of qualifying for major championships and drew criticism from fans and golf traditionalists.
However, Mickelson dismissed the setback, insisting that LIV’s lack of OWGR points was part of a bigger strategic plan. That grand vision, however, has not unfolded the way he might have hoped. BC Partners Credit has withdrawn its proposed $300 million investment in LIV Golf, dealing a major blow to the league’s plans to relaunch as LIV 2.0 in 2027. The deal reportedly fell apart because LIV failed to secure commitments from enough high-profile players.
According to ESPN, around 30 players had agreed to participate in the proposed new league, while another 10 were still considering the offer. In any case, with BC Partners out of the picture, LIV now faces the possibility of liquidating its remaining assets to pay off its debts. Mickelson, however, might not be feeling the financial strain as much as some of his fellow players.
The six-time major champion collected nearly $5 million from LIV in 2026 despite appearing in just one event. The six-time major champion collected nearly $5 million from LIV in 2026 despite appearing in just one event. Bankruptcy filings reveal that LIV made five payments totaling $6,000,254.56 to Mickelson before its September 8 Chapter 11 filing.. Despite collecting such amounts, Mickelson must be disappointed at some level because of the role he played in building it. Four of those payments, amounting to $4.77 million, were made in 2026. Despite collecting such amounts, Mickelson must be disappointed at some level because of the role he played in building it.
Phil Mickelson had long criticized the PGA Tour over its control and monetisation of players’ media rights, digital assets, and individual shots. So, when LIV Golf emerged, he saw an opportunity to challenge that system. He later admitted to helping the league recruit players and had attorneys assist in drafting its operating agreement. Mickelson viewed Saudi investment as a way of giving players the leverage they had long sought from the PGA Tour.
His involvement was not without controversy. Journalist Alan Shipnuck published a report in which he quoted Mickelson privately describing the Saudis as “scary motherf***ers to get involved with.” Mickelson acknowledged their record on human rights, including the alleged murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the execution of people for being gay.
Yet, he was still considering joining the project, calling it a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates” and arguing that “the Saudi money has finally given us that leverage.” Following the backlash, Mickelson apologised for his “reckless” choice of words and announced that he would step away from golf temporarily to focus on personal matters and self-reflection.
But later in 2022, he signed a reported $200 million deal with LIV Golf and became captain of its HyFlyers GC team. And when he made his LIV debut, the PGA Tour suspended him along with other players who had joined the breakaway league. Those suspensions eventually became part of the antitrust lawsuit filed against the PGA Tour by LIV players, which was later dropped.
That said, Mickelson has yet to respond to Chamblee’s jibe. It remains to be seen whether the six-time major champion will break his silence and offer a response to the analyst’s criticism.