What does Phil Mickelson suppose his legacy will likely be? He hoping it’s 1 factor

Phil Mickelson, a six-time main winner and golf corridor of famer, believes he will likely be most remembered for LIV Golf, the tour surrounded by controversy he’s headlined for the previous two years. 

Speaking this week on the Fairway to Heaven podcast, a LIV Golf-backed present, Mickelson was answering a query from co-host Jerry Foltz about legacy. Notably, after the response, Foltz then requested an identical query. 

For readability, under is the primary trade, began by Foltz: 

“I did a latest podcast in Houston — I feel you noticed some snippets of it — with a man named Will Kunkel. Nice questions he requested, nothing was out of bounds,” Foltz mentioned on the podcast. “And he requested me: What is going to Phil Mickelson’s — what will likely be his flowers at his funeral? His approach of claiming his legacy. What is going to your legacy be when all is alleged and executed? What do you suppose?”

“Properly, I imply I feel hopefully LIV Golf,” Mickelson mentioned, “and serving to get the sport to a youthful crowd, serving to get the sport to youthful gamers and giving them infrastructure to grow to be nice, serving to to develop the sport on a world foundation. Like, all of the issues LIV Golf is doing. I really feel very related to the success.”

Unquestionably, LIV Golf has impacted skilled golf. The headlines have been seemingly numerous. In 2022, LIV, providing assured cash behind billions from the Saudi Arabia Public Funding Fund (PIF), launched, and gamers from the PGA Tour, the established model, bolted. A yr later, the Tour and the PIF shook arms over a funding association. However the sides stay speaking  — and in January, the Tour took one other deal, from a group of professional sports activities house owners that’s christened itself the Strategic Sports activities Group. Notably over the previous two years, the Tour has enacted a number of adjustments to entice its execs to remain — amongst them, participant fairness and “signature occasions” that characteristic restricted fields and larger purses — whereas LIV performs on with 54-player, no-cut fields. 

Questions stay. Will the excursions stay aside? Will extra Tour execs be a part of LIV? Can the edges come collectively? What does reunification appear to be? Progress to the deal between the PIF and the Tour has been made, the Tour has mentioned, however particulars have been scarce. 

For Mickelson’s half, he’d been one of many PGA Tour’s greatest stars, because of the foremost wins and a devil-may-care model of play. However, in an interview printed in early 2022, whereas discussing the advantages of the yet-to-start LIV league, he’d additionally controversially commented on the Saudi funding, and he’s been among the many execs to play with LIV since its begin. 

On the Fairway to Heaven podcast, after Mickelson’s preliminary reply to the query on his legacy, Foltz requested this:  

“Do you suppose that [LIV Golf] will likely be your lasting legacy?” 

Mickelson mentioned sure. 

“I positive hope so,” he mentioned on the podcast, “as a result of it wasn’t an possibility — like elevated occasions and fairness within the tour wasn’t an possibility for the fellows that got here to LIV. And so the truth that we’re invested and concerned and built-in into the success of LIV — and I’m comfortable for the fellows on the Tour that they now have all that stuff as a result of they need to. 

“However the place we’re at, we’re attracting a unique crowd. And we’re attracting a world crowd. And that’s crucial to the long-term success of the sport. And it’s one thing that the outdated mannequin of the Tour would by no means transcend into since you couldn’t get all the fellows to go journey the world and play over there and once more appeal to gamers that don’t play the sport of golf to wish to watch. And so I feel LIV Golf is doing that and I’m hopeful that my reference to LIV and hopeful the success of LIV will likely be what I’m identified for.”

Editor’s word: To take heed to your entire Fairway to Heaven podcast with Mickelson, please click on right here.  

Nick Piastowski

Golf.com Editor

Nick Piastowski is a Senior Editor at Golf.com and Golf Journal. In his function, he’s liable for modifying, writing and creating tales throughout the golf area. And when he’s not writing about methods to hit the golf ball farther and straighter, the Milwaukee native might be taking part in the sport, hitting the ball left, proper and brief, and consuming a chilly beer to scrub away his rating. You possibly can attain out to him about any of those matters — his tales, his recreation or his beers — at nick.piastowski@golf.com.