'It's so disrespectful...' LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson reacts to annoying pet peeve on the course
Golf legend Phil Mickelson believes players around the world not raking bunkers has become a "huge problem even at the nicest of clubs" in 2025.
Phil Mickelson believes not raking bunkers has become a "huge problem" around the world in 2025.
Mickelson, 54, made his feelings about the subject be known when replying to Lou Stagner's photo of an unraked bunker on the golf course.
To many ardent players, raking bunkers after playing a shot and walking out of it is a given.
Or at least it should.
LIV Golf star Mickelson thinks far too many amateur golfers - especially newbies to the sport since the Covid lockdown - have either got complacent or simply don't know how to rake a bunker properly.
The six-time major champion also commented about another one of his pet peeves in golf at the moment.
Players not repairing their pitch marks on the greens.
Golf stats guru Stagner posted a photo of an unraked bunker on X / Twitter.
Stagner unfortunately saw his ball come to rest in a footprint during his latest round.
"Please rake the bunkers. This is gonna be a fun one," tweeted Stagner.
The post has since received hundreds of replies from equally irritated golfers.
One of them was Mickelson, who called out the culprits.
"It’s so disrespectful to everyone playing behind you to not rake the bunkers properly (or not repair pitch marks)," tweeted Mickelson.
"Since Covid this has become a huge problem even at the nicest of clubs."
Mickelson called out the PGA Tour after its commissioner Jay Monahan defended Rory McIlroy for snubbing an invite to compete in Jack Nicklaus' Memorial Tournament earlier in the week.
Monahan admitted he had no issue with McIlroy skipping a third Signature Event of the season, citing it's "the beauty of our model".
Mickelson, who left the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf for a reported fee of $200m in 2022, could only sit there and laugh.
"'The beauty of our model' [laughter emojis]," tweeted Mickelson in response to Flushing It's post on the subject.
"It’s why the PGA Tour won’t ever be able to move throughout the world, why sponsors don’t know what they are buying, why fans haven’t seen all best compete against each other consistently for decades, and why no other sport successfully uses this model. It was great for me and all players but not good for anyone else."
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