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Kevin Van Valkenburg
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Mark Schlabach
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ESPN Senior Writer- Senior college football writer
- Author of seven books on college football
- Graduate of the University of Georgia
BROOKLINE, Mass. — Phil Mickelson, alone, didn’t break professional golf into two pieces.
A lot of cracks appeared, some taking years to form, to shape the current moment. But history will likely view Mickelson as a catalyst in the rupture. His ideas, his words, his hubris, his quest to maximize his value are at the center of the split. We won’t know whether he is the villain of this story — or the visionary — for years to come.
He emerged from his four months in exile in all black and sporting a beard for the first time in his adult life, suddenly looking like a professional wrestler who left his longtime employer for a rival circuit. But there has been no brashness or arrogance in this version of Mickelson. As emotions swirl, he seems to be doing his best not to inflame them further.
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“Everyone is entitled to their opinion,” Mickelson said Monday at his U.S. Open news conference, when asked if he believes he has been unfairly criticized for joining LIV Golf. “I understand that it brings out a lot of strong emotions for a lot of people. I respect the way they may or may not feel about it.”
What is clear is that golf has entered a new era. It’s possible we’ll only see all the best players compete together at the majors, like this week’s U.S. Open at The Country Club just outside Boston. The PGA Tour will no longer be able to say it boasts the biggest purses and all the best players on a weekly basis, something that has been true for roughly 30 years. LIV Golf, which plans to invest billions through Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund over the next few years, isn’t going away.
A tug of…
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Source : espn
