Phil Mickelson has spoken out on social media yet again. He had plenty to say about the pending deal between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf.
However, this time, it wasn’t a dig.
With 2023 coming to an end, the self-imposed deadline for the Saudi PIF and the PGA Tour to sign a deal is about to pass.
Many still wonder if there will even be a deal. Mickelson attempted to calm the masses after he saw someone question the future of golf for casual fans.
“When it is all said and done, the average fan will see all the best players compete against each other way more often than before AND throughout the world,” Mickelson wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Sponsors will know what it is they are buying, and everyone will end up ahead. Let’s all be patient.”
Joe,
I understand what you are saying. However, when it is all said and done, the average fan will see all the best players compete against each other way more often than before AND throughout the world. Sponsors will know what it is they are buying and everyone will end up…— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) December 30, 2023
Staying patient is a new message from Mickelson.
Even though it feels like this deal has been a two-year-long situation, it has been just 206 days since PIF and the PGA Tour announced it on June 6.
Mickelson was responding to X user Joe Pompliano, the host of a sports and business show, ‘The Joe Pomp Show, ‘ who wrote about how the casual golf fan could be lost to this divide.
“The PGA-LIV merger talks being extended is a bummer for golf,” Pompliano wrote. “Many fans are just exhausted by the whole experience — they stopped following updates, aren’t excited about any PGA or LIV events, and only plan on watching the majors. That’s a quick way to eliminate the causal fan.”
The PGA-LIV merger talks being extended is a bummer for golf.
Many fans are just exhausted by the whole experience — they stopped following updates, aren’t excited about any PGA or LIV events, and only plan on watching the majors.
That’s a quick way to eliminate the causal fan.
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) December 29, 2023
This tweet sparked the response from Mickelson. Pompliano then responded to the six-time major champion.
“I agree that would be better, but the last 2+ years have upset many fans, and it’s TBD if they return if/when a deal is done,” he responded to Mickelson’s comment. “Question Phil Mickelson: What do you think is holding up the merger? And if it doesn’t happen, can LIV be a financially viable product in the long run?”
Lefty has not yet responded.
LIV Golf doesn’t seem to be going anywhere regardless of this deal, but Pompliano did raise some questions that people want answers to.
The divide LIV has created in professional golf is at the front of the storylines. While there were plenty of fantastic moments in 2023, the game changed when they announced that deal on June 6.
Rumors have mid-spring as the new timeline for the PIF and PGA Tour to finish the deal. Will that happen, or will it get extended again? Does the PGA Tour find another investor, or will PIF be the only option?
Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.