Phil Mickelson breaks online silence to post statement about The Match

Phil Mickelson may not be part of The Match anymore but that doesn't mean he won't be watching Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas.

Ben Smith's picture
Sat, 10 Dec 2022
Phil Mickelson breaks online silence to post statement about The Match

Phil Mickelson may not be part of The Match anymore, but that doesn't mean Lefty won't be watching Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy taking on Jordan Spieth and Justin Thomas

News broke in late November the six-time major champion was being booted from the enterprise owing to his association with LIV Golf

Mickelson has been heavily involved in the made-for-TV exhibition matches since its inception.

He memorably featured in the first iteration when he took on the aforementioned Woods at Shadow Creek Golf Course in Las Vegas.

He beat Tiger in a playoff after they could not be separated over 22 holes. 

In total, Mickelson has competed in four of the exhibition matches and was on the commentary team for Brooks Koepka's duel with Bryson DeChambeau in November 2021.

Mickelson - who turned heads when he posed with piles of cash before the first Match - has taken the time to wish the four superstars well ahead of the seventh edition at Pelican Golf Club. 

He posted this:

Mickelson has largely been a much quieter presence online since his return to the golf world. 

Though at times the activity from his account has been interesting. 

On November 16 his account "liked" a post where the journalist and broadcaster Piers Morgan pointed out that the World Cup being played in Qatar was "laced with rank hypocrisy". 

Morgan questioned which country was "morally clean enough to host a World Cup". 

Lefty also liked a post suggesting that prominent LIV Golf critic and PGA Tour player Billy Horschel had asked the breakaway tour for $55m

In a statement to SI, the producer of The Match - Bryan Zuriff - previously said: 

"Phil was a phenomenal partner and he helped build this thing. He was really good in this show. But he chose an opportunity and has taken a different path. Our show lives on because people like it."

He added: 

"Look, we're in business with the PGA Tour. We're basically a PGA Tour event. Maybe one day, LIV will figure out their stuff. Then I'll work with whomever is appropriate."

Now watch a clip from the first edition of The Match:

Next page: Charlie Woods reveals Tiger is a forgetful caddie