With the ongoing talks between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf overcoming hurdles and finding common ground, it might be only a matter of time before we see a new paradigm emerge in professional golf. But for now, there is no place more lucrative for a professional golfer to be other than LIV Golf.
LIV Golf CEO Greg Norman has previously said that there is no shortage of players who want to play in LIV Golf, and now golfing great Phil Mickelson has said ‘aye’ to that sentiment. When asked whether interest remains high for pros of a high level to go to LIV Golf, Mickelson said, “Yes.” However, he would not be goaded into expanding on it.
Whether or not Phil Mickelson is being truthful about the interest of championship-winning players expressing their desire to him to come to play for LIV Golf, in the past two years, major players have jumped ship from other leagues. Of course, before Jon Rahm, came Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, and Mickelson himself—all players who seemed to define this era of golf.
However, fans are split about whether Mickelson is just promoting his employers or if there is actual truth to what he said. And, with the fate of the golfing world being a mystery, it is possible for players to think that they should just grab the LIV Golf cash before it goes away—an old-fashioned cash grab, if you will—but on the other hand, fans think there really are no more players of that caliber who aren’t making enough money to want to jump ship.
A lot of fans seem to not believe Mickelson when he responded in the positive to the question. This may be because Mickelson is known for saying things he doesn’t mean or for other reasons, such as having to include players in a limited format of LIV Golf, or that nobody has openly expressed this themselves. One commenter noted, “Phil has said this many times…AND NOTHING HAS COME OF IT.” Another said, “Every single year at this time we hear this.” Which is true, but LIV Golf did sign Jon Rahm last year.
The exchange between Phil Mickelson and golf journalist Josh Carpenter has ignited speculation of who would be coming to LIV Golf next year. With constant speculation and rumors abounding over players’ futures, fans have these rumors and reports to go by when throwing out names. World Nos. 7 and 8, Hideki Matsuyama and Viktor Hovland have been speculated to go to LIV Golf, as this commenter says, “Hideki and Hovland would be 2 golfers that I think would be very interested.” The names kept recurring through the comments: “Interest, of course. Who does LIV want? There is only 1 name, and it is Hideki. Peeps need to understand if a deal occurs, LIV is here for at least the next 2 years as we see it. Any deal will require the DOJ blessing.” However, the players have maintained that they are not going anywhere.
A section of fans also made the point that Mickelson had to say this and he could not give an answer to the contrary, as LIV Golf needs to keep their brand as appealing as possible. Another reason for going with this line of answering the question is because Greg Norman has repeatedly said the same. One commenter wrote, “What would you expect him to answer?” and another said similarly, “He’s hardly going to say there’s no interest, is he?”
Whatever the case may be, LIV Golf will endure, it would seem. There have been reports of proceedings of the talks of compromise, but the pace seems slow with sticking points such as what to do with the huge amount of money LIV Golfers earn. Rory McIlroy has also said that the desire for a compromise is not as universal as it was once thought to be. So, time will tell how this chasm in pro golf will be addressed.
