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Weekly Read: What about Phil Mickelson at the PGA? Or as Ryder Cup Captain?

Davis Love III inadvertently stoked conversation about Phil Mickelson not being Ryder Cup captain as expected in 2025. But that's three years away; what about Phil defending his PGA title next month?

Bob Harig

Weekly Read: What about Phil Mickelson at the PGA? Or as Ryder Cup Captain?
Weekly Read: What about Phil Mickelson at the PGA? Or as Ryder Cup Captain? /

PGA Championship week is a month away and the tournament’s Hall of Fame defending champion remains underground, out of sight but certainly not out of mind.

The idea that Phil Mickelson would skip the Masters – where he won three times – was shocking enough. But to possibly miss the tournament he won so gloriously a year ago is fraught with amazement.

To paraphrase a long-ago NFL Films clip of Vince Lombardi: What the hell is going on around here?

You know by now the mess Mickelson made for himself. The “obnoxious greed’’ comments about the PGA Tour. The interview in which he suggested he was willing to look past the human rights issues of the Saudi government and its backing of LIV Golf Investments in order to gain leverage against the PGA Tour, among other things.

The subsequent move by several sponsors to drop him, other PGA Tours to criticize him while pledging allegiance to the PGA Tour, and a lengthy apology he issued in which Mickelson said he would be stepping away for awhile.

That statement came on Feb. 22, which is nearly eight weeks ago. Mickelson has not played since the final round of the PIF Saudi International on Feb. 6, which is 10 weeks ago. What gives?

“He’s gone dark,’’ Bryson DeChambeau said at the Masters. “There’s no contact.’’

Masters chairman Fred Ridley said Mickelson was not “dis-invited’’ and that Mickelson texted him to say he would not play back in early March and that “I was willing to discuss that further with him if he’d like.’’

That suggests Mickelson could have played the Masters and chose to skip the major championship for the first time since 1994.

The PGA Tour will not say if he is suspended, as it does not disclose discipline, so there is that nagging detail that hovers over the situation, which obviously would answer a lot of questions about Mickelson’s absence. There has also been no word on if he’s had a discussion with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, who said at the Players Championship that was a necessary step.

Then came Davis Love III’s comments prior to the RBC Heritage last week at Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. The two-time U.S. Ryder Cup captain who will captain the Presidents Cup team later this year in Charlotte wasn’t even asked about Mickelson, never mentioned his name. But his answer to a question about Fred Couples – and why he’s never been a Ryder Cup captain – was more than curious.

Couples has been a three-time winning Presidents Cup captain and an assistant on numerous teams, but never seriously considered for the Ryder Cup.

“I don’t know,’’ Love said. “Fred’s good in the locker room, in a practice round, as a captain, I think he would have been a great Ryder Cup captain. He could still be Ryder Cup captain. We may have to fill a gap somewhere now. Our order’s kind of messed up right now. So maybe Fred would be a great home game in New York.’’

Perhaps that comment goes right by if Love didn’t add the part about New York. He was referencing the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black on Long Island, New York – where Mickelson has LONG been penciled in as the U.S. captain. Zach Johnson, who will assist Love this year at the Presidents Cup and is the 2023 U.S. Ryder Cup captain, was also vague when named to the post last month and asked about Mickelson.

This remains a perplexing situation. Mickelson, 51, undoubtedly caused quite a backlash. His comments about the PGA Tour were harsh, his own actions seemingly more “greedy’’ than anything else the Tour has done.

But he also has a pretty strong 30-year track record of popularity and performance. Six majors and 45 PGA Tour wins, numerous tales of generosity, a mentor to many players, as well as a big part of the U.S. effort to regroup and better prepare for the Ryder Cup.

Is there not a way back for Phil? If so, what is it?

Speaking of Tiger and the Presidents Cup

Love said there is a role for Tiger Woods on the U.S. Presidents Cup team if he wants it. And he also disclosed the Presidents Cup job was Woods’ if he wanted it after a successful captaincy in 2019, but Woods declined. Johnson might have been the Presidents Cup choice in his place, but it was determined he was needed for next year’s Ryder Cup. So Love was picked, with Woods’ influence.

“When he told me I was going to be captain, that he wanted to play on the team,’’ said Love, who was appointed to the position a month before Woods’ car crash last year. “So I don’t think that’s changed.

“Now can he to do it? I’ll just say no, he’s not going to play enough and golf, he won’t be able to do it. So then he’ll do it. And what could be a better story than him playing the Masters, him playing The Open Championship and working his way back and winning a golf tournament and being at least in the conversation.

“But honestly, what we want is we want him involved, because look what he’s done for some of the young guys, look what he’s done for some of the old guys who are captains. He’s really helped us.

“But he’s a big part. It went from we didn’t know who Tiger Woods was, he’s beaten the stew out of us, and we didn’t really know him, to now he’s a close friend, a trusted captain, he’s a mentor to the young players.’’

Steve Stricker wanted Woods to be part of the Ryder Cup team last year, but it was too soon. Now another opportunity awaits.

“That’s going to be his decision,’’ Love said. “I watched him at the Hall of Fame thing (on March 9), I was standing right beside him, I would have bet you that night he’s not going to be able to walk 72 holes at the Masters. So who knows what he’s going to be doing in September.’’

Fore! Things

1. With his victory on Sunday at the RBC Heritage, Jordan Spieth now has 13 PGA Tour victories, each of his last two (the 2021 Valero Texas Open) coming on Easter Sunday. As will be noted repeatedly, the 2023 Masters will end on April 9 – Easter Sunday. “That’s good vibes,’’ Spieth said.

2. Spieth won despite being 60th in the field out of 72 who made the cut in strokes-gained putting. His -2.55 strokes gained was the worst for a PGA Tour winner since 2014. As Spieth said: “I won this golf tournament without a putter.’’

3. Harold Varner III missed a chance at his first PGA Tour victory (he won the Saudi International event earlier this year) in part due to taking 30 putts on Sunday. He missed the playoff with Spieth and Patrick Cantlay by a stroke.

4. Spieth had four rounds in the 60s at Hilton Head, a first for him in a PGA Tour event since he did it at the British Open, where he finished second to Collin Morikawa last July at Royal St. George’s.

The LIV Golf Pivot

This should have been obvious when the LIV Golf Invitational Series announced in March that it would have an eight-tournament schedule in 2022 that would allow players to compete in as many or as few events as they wanted. That was when the official name of the “league’’ was announced.

But the fact that players have a choice meant the original structure had changed, making some recent reports of players still be offered big sums to “join’’ a bit confusing. What would they be joining?

LIV Golf commissioner Greg Norman spelled this out last week in an interview with SI.com/Morning Read when he disclosed that the original idea of a 14-tournament league was being delayed until 2024.

“We will be doing it like this for the next two years,’’ he said. “We have eight invitational series events this year, 10 next year. And we will do thorough testing of how everything works. We will still do team events and then the league will be up and running in 2024. We’re just giving them an opportunity to go play one time for $25 million or seven times for $25 million with the ability to qualify for the team championship.’’

This was in response to the Phil Mickelson fallout, which clearly set the endeavor back and caused a considerable amount of scrambling to have events this year. The first is less than two months away outside of London and Norman contends a full field of 48 players will compete for $25 million, $20 million of which goes to the individual portion of the event.

Norman also said he was sending invites to some of the leading amateurs in the game. This was met with a good bit of derision, as some view it as desperation to fill fields. But Norman contends there are pros all around the world who have no affiliation with an established tour, and the response has been robust. And while he termed the amateur move as a “grow the game’’ initiative, it is also shrewd.

If any of these players take him up on it, they could sign name, image and likeness deals and retain their amateur status. If they elect to turn pro, they can gain experience by earning a minimum of $150,000 per tournament with a chance for considerably more. LIV Golf sees that as an alternative to trying to earn a Tour card on the Korn Ferry Tour, where the prize money is miniscule and there is no guarantee of graduating to the PGA Tour.

Without having any Tour membership to be concerned about, a player could bank some money for two years before attempting to qualify for the PGA Tour. A win on the LIV Golf Invitational Series will be worth $4 million.

PGA Championship Countdown

There are 31 days until the first round of the PGA Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where typically one of the best fields of the year assembles.

Aside from the 20 PGA of America club professionals who qualify, the PGA essentially takes all of the top 100 players in the world. It does not explicitly say so in its qualification criteria, but it often fills out its field by inviting those among the top 100 who have yet to qualify.

The tournament’s main qualification is the top 70 players from a running money list that begins before the previous year’s PGA and concludes two weeks prior. Past major champions for five years as well as PGA champions for life are also invited.

Southern Hills last held the championship in 2007, when Tiger Woods won his 13th major championship.

One thing of note: the deadline for entry is Friday, so both Woods and Phil Mickelson need to submit their applications (if they have not done so already) this week if they have any intention of playing.

Social Matters

-- Jordan Spieth’s mom weighs in on his RBC Heritage victory.

-- Justin Thomas, not liking the idea that Spieth won on Easter last year, this year ... and that the final round of next year’s Masters falls on Easter.

-- This interesting shot led to a two-stroke penalty for Dylan Frittelli. He violated Rule 10.1 by making a shot while standing across or in the line of play.

-- Bryson DeChambeau hopes to be back in time for the U.S. Open after having surgery on his left hand Thursday.

Next Up

The PGA Tour heads to New Orleans for the Zurich Classic, which in 2017 switched to a team format with the winners being given credit for an official PGA Tour victory – but with no world ranking points at stake. Cam Smith and Marc Leishman are the defending champions. (The tournament was not played in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.)

Masters champion Scottie Scheffler makes his first start since the victory and is playing with Ryan Palmer. Collin Morikawa and Viktor Hovland make another strong team, as do Patrick Cantlay and Xander Schauffele.

The tournament is comprised of 80 players who will playing four-ball in rounds one and three and foursomes in rounds two and four.

Published
Bob Harig
BOB HARIG

Bob Harig is a senior writer covering golf for Sports Illustrated. He has more than 25 years experience on the beat, including 15 at ESPN. Harig is a regular guest on Sirius XM PGA Tour Radio and has written two books, "DRIVE: The Lasting Legacy of Tiger Woods" and "Tiger and Phil: Golf's Most Fascinating Rivalry." He graduated from Indiana University where he earned an Evans Scholarship, named in honor of the great amateur golfer Charles (Chick) Evans Jr. Harig, a former president of the Golf Writers Association of America, lives in Clearwater, Fla.

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