Phil Mickelson says he has on the “winning side” with LIV Golf and believes the PGA Tour is “trending downwards.”
Mickelson defected from the PGA Tour to join the Saudi-backed breakaway series on a hugely lucrative contract in June.
Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau are among the other high-profile players who turned their back on the PGA Tour to sign up for LIV Golf.
As he prepares to tee off in Jeddah on Friday, six-time major winner Mickelson is in no doubt he made the right decision.
He said: “Golf is very lucky to have the PIF [Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia] invest in the game… being influxed with billions of dollars.
“Now the US and the UK are not favourable to this, but everywhere else in the world, LIV Golf is loved. It is very negatively viewed currently [in the US and UK], but that has been changing and evolving already and in a few years LIV will be not only accepted but appreciated, because of the involvement and the influx of capital and what it is doing.”
Welcome to the LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah 2022 Presented by @Roshnksa ☀️#LIVGolf #LIVGolfJeddah pic.twitter.com/A9C0W7OxRI
— LIV Golf (@LIVGolfInv) October 12, 2022
He added: “I’ve spoken with people who have had dealings that have not been positive with the [PGA] Tour and have had nothing but positive experiences with LIV.
“For a long, long time, my 30 years on the PGA Tour, pretty much all the best players played on the PGA Tour. That will never be the case again.
“I think going forward you have to pick the side you think is going to be successful. And I firmly believe that I’m on the winning side of how things are going to evolve and shape in the coming years for professional golf.
“I see LIV Golf trending upwards, I see the PGA Tour trending downwards. And I love the side that I’m on.”
Source: Livescore