“He didn’t say a word,” Phil Mickelson has an awkward encounter with silence at the Masters Champions Dinner
Phil Mickelson's silence and low profile surprises everyone at the Champions Dinner 2023.
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The fight and schism between the LIV and PGA factions have become one of the coldest affairs in golf’s history. Never has the sport been divided on such a basis, with players having a huge rivalry and a cold, eerie feeling, sharing the same space together.
It has been a year since the LIV and the PGA players have competed together in a competition. The Augusta Masters 2023 is an event espousing bringing back the LIV defectors alongside their PGA counterparts, despite this bitter rivalry. One of the biggest names to defect to LIV golf last year was Phil Mickelson.
Amongst the ones present at the Masters Champions Dinner were Fuzzy Zoeller, the 1979 Masters Champion, and Tommy Aaron, the 1973 champion. Both the veterans were pretty much surprised by the quiet and low profile that the 52-year-old Mickelson kept during the dinner. Zoeller reveals, “We’re just 33 past champions in a room, all trying to get along. Nobody said a word about it [LIV Golf]. Phil sat near the end of the table and kept to himself. He didn’t speak at all.”
Veteran Masters champions astounded by Phil Mickelson’s quietness at the Champions Dinner
This year’s Masters seems to be quite a heated one, given the existing schism amongst the LIV and PGA players. PGA players consider LIV players to not have worthy enough experience of playing competitive golf, ever since they joined the rival golf circuit.
Phil Mickelson, former Masters champion, had to deal with a much awkward affair at the Champions Dinner last Tuesday. He is reportedly keeping a very low profile, which has also been noticed by veteran champion Tommy Aaron. Aaron says, “I wished him good luck, but I couldn’t believe how quiet he was. Phil took a very low profile. He didn’t say a word.”
Speaking about his return to Augusta after the practice rounds, Mickelson seems quite delighted to be back. He says to the press, “It is my favorite week, so being here and being a part of it and being able to experience this great place and what it means is so fun because, as a kid, you grow up dreaming about being a part of this. You dream of winning it, being in contention, and then when you actually are a pro and you are playing here, you’re like, ‘Wow, I want to be a part of this every year.’
He further adds, “That’s the coolest thing about having won here is that you’re a part of this event and part of the history. It’s really, really special thing.’’
Many fans have also noticed that Phil Mickelson might also be regretting his choice of leaving the PGA Tour for the Saudi-backed LIV Golf. Mickelson’s contract is worth $200 million, which is indeed quite a large amount for a golfer to be earning from a touring circuit. However, the clauses in the contract state, should he decide to terminate before the contract ends, he might end up paying four times his contract worth!
So, if Phil Mickelson decides to leave LIV before his contract ends in 2025, it might turn out to be quite a costly affair for the player. He might even end up paying an $800 million penalty for not honoring the terms present in his contract.
Phil Mickelson hopes to have fruitful results at the Augusta this year, given his recent struggles on the golf course. The veteran PGA Tour star has now slipped in his world rankings to 395th, given he is not getting ample opportunity to play competitive golf. Perhaps, Masters 2023 will be his ground to claim his retribution against a field divided between the schisms of golf.
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Siddid Dey Purkayastha
(528 Articles Published)