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A golf insider recently shared his take on Phil Mickelson's controversial move to LIV Golf. The American golfer enjoyed tremendous success on the PGA Tour, where he has won 45 tournaments, tied for eighth most in the history of the tour. However, he shocked the golf world when he moved to the Saudi circuit in 2022.
In the latest episode of the Fore Play Podcast, Luggage Guy Trent and Sam Riggs Bozoian discussed Mickelson's move to LIV Golf. Trent opined the American has turned out to be a "polarizing figure" in the history of the game. He also highlighted Mickelson's dominance while playing on the PGA Tour.
Speaking of Mickelson, Trent said,
"It's sad. He's turned into such a polarizing figure, which is weirdly, I think, kind of how he wanted to be. You're the second-best player during the Tiger-dominant era. Your identity is, 'I am the guy who played during the Tiger Era. And if Tiger didn't exist, I probably would have won X amount more tournaments.' And it just seems like he wanted some sort of identity that made him a big figure. This definitely did it.
"You know, he wanted a reputation for being the smartest guy in the room. And he made one of the more polarizing moves in golf history. Unfortunately, what has happened since then is that he's not as front and center in the game of golf. There are certainly people who could argue that what he did, the move that he pulled, in hindsight, ended up working out. Like, there are circles where Phil Mickelson is just kind of the smartest dude whoever did it."
Mickelson is one of the most decorated PGA Tour players to have joined LIV Golf. He has won six Major titles and became the oldest golfer to win the PGA Championship in 2021. However, after joining the Saudi-backed LIV Golf, he has struggled with his game.
A look into Phil Mickelson's career with LIV Golf
Mickelson has so far played in three seasons on the LIV Golf. He started off his journey in 2022 with its first season. That year, he competed in seven events and settled in 34th position in the season standings.
The American golfer could only manage one finish in the top 10 that year and struggled in most of the tournaments, finishing outside the top 30, the exceptions being his 17th-position at the Bangkok event and eighth position at the Chicago event.
In the second season of LIV Golf, Mickelson again struggled with his game. He competed in 13 tournaments in 2023 and recorded his best finish in tenth place at the Bedminster event. He finished in 15th place at the Singapore event and ended the season in 39th position.
In the third season of LIV Golf, Mickelson again struggled with his game, finishing the season in 46th place in the standings. However, he had some decent finishes too, including T6 at the Jeddah event and T22 at the Singapore event.
