Phil Mickelson's LIV remarks almost brought down the show before it began
Phil Mickelson's famously controversial remarks about his dealings with LIV Golf and the PGA Tour almost folded the series before it began, according to a report.
Majed Al Sorour, the chief executive of Golf Saudi, has revealed Phil Mickelson's famously controversial "scary motherf***ers" remarks almost brought down the LIV Golf show before it even began.
Al Sorour has given an interview to The New Yorker about LIV Golf, in which he spoke on a number of topics.
One of the most interesting aspects was the claim that if LIV players are banned from the majors next year then they would simply create their own.
Make of that what you will.
Related: Nine players who changed their mind about LIV Golf
There were also the curious claim that Al Sorour reportedly wanted to rent Augusta National's clubhouse during the Masters to "wine and dine" potential recruits.
But back to Lefty, who previously admitted his dealings with the Saudis and LIV Golf were really all about leverage.
Some critics have suggested Mickelson's comments to The Fire Pit Collective author and journalist Alan Shipnuck was simply the six-time major champion saying the quiet part loud.
In his report, New Yorker reporter Zach Helfand outlined the conversation Al Sorour had with Yasir Al-Rumayyan [the governor of the Public Investment Fund] after Mickelson's comments, that Lefty insisted were off the record, became public.
Helfand wrote:
"They called me a scary motherf******," Sorour said. "We don't kill gays, I'll just tell you that.
"I called the boss Rumayyan, I said, ‘Everyone’s walking away [from LIV Golf]. Do you want to do it, or not?’'" Rumayyan replied: “Get the biggest mediocres, get the ten that we have, get you and I, and let’s go play for $25m."
Mickelson's comments sparked a number of public statements from PGA Tour players, including the likes of Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Xander Schauffele, who declared their allegiance to the PGA Tour.
Most recently, Mickelson has claimed that he now believes he is on the "winning side".
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