LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson mocks PGA Tour revamp with Mr. Bean meme

LIV Golf League player Phil Mickelson appeared to confirm several pros have sent him 'thank you' messages after the PGA Tour announced huge changes.

Ben Smith's picture
Thu, 2 Mar 2023
LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson mocks PGA Tour revamp with Mr. Bean meme

Phil Mickelson has not publicly commented - yet - on the proposed changes to the PGA Tour, but he's most certainly taken notice. 

At least, that's according to the most recent social media activity of the six-time major champion. 

If you haven't heard, it has now been confirmed that potential changes to next year's elevated events will feature reduced fields. 

Oh, and the absence of a cut. Sound familiar? It's fair to say LIV Golf League players are absolutely raging at the apparent hypocrisy. 

Rory McIlroy insists those getting irate are 'acting on limited information' as he conceded LIV exploited a weakness in the PGA

Mickelson is keeping a close eye on the developments. His Twitter account took the time to 'like' a series of posts taking aim at the PGA Tour. 

Related: I'm always for a cut, says Xander

One of those included England's Lee Westwood asking what position Lefty and Greg Norman occupied in the PGA Tour's Player Impact Program [PIP]. 

The PIP was introduced in 2021 to financially reward the games biggest stars. 

It was also introduced around the time talk of a super golf league, backed by Saudi Arabia, began to surface. 

Critics say it's just a slush fund and a Tiger Woods tax. Elsewhere, Mickelson enjoyed a meme featuring Mr Bean copying LIV Golf in an exam: 

Amazing. 

Oh, and he also liked this post: 

Mickelson also appeared to confirm that some of the PGA Tour's top players sent him a 'thank you' message. 

Yep. It's fair to say Mickelson is certainly bristling beneath the surface. 

Mickelson returned to action with his Hy Flyers in the second edition of the LIV Golf League in February. 

He experienced a career first by falling to outside the top 300 players in the Official World Golf Ranking after their first $25m event in Mexico. 

The 52-year-old also warned later this year past conduct that won't reflect well on the PGA Tour will be exposed. 

"That day will be later this year when all of it is brought to light and it won’t have to be from me," he wrote in response to one user who suggested Mickelson was in fact a whistleblower.

What is happening? 

The concept of elevated events was announced last August as a powerplay response to LIV Golf. 

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan spelled out in a memo to players that from 2024 the tournaments that were given designated status this year will be altered again. 

The prize purses of $20m or more will remain but the fields will be reduced to 70-78 players and there will be no cut.  

These tournaments will only be available to the PGA's best performers. The aforementioned McIlroy insisted the changes are still up in the air. 

But he stated that the absence of a cut is a sure-fire way of getting sponsors to pay up. The changes will have dramatic implications. 

The rich? Well, they will only get richer. Whilst the rank-and-file players will potentially be feeling as though they are facing a closed shop. 

Next page: Tour pro goes on incredible rant about importance of cuts