Tiger Woods’ long-time PGA Tour rival Phil Mickelson admits TGL could be “great” for golf following successful inaugural season

Phil Mickelson lauded the TGL of Tiger Woods and expressed that it would be "great" for golf if this succeeds in the future.

Tiger Woods’ long-time PGA Tour rival Phil Mickelson admits TGL could be “great” for golf following successful inaugural season

Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson (Image via Imago)

The inaugural season of the TGL concluded on Tuesday as the Atlanta Drive GC became the first champions of the tech-infused simulator league. Following the success of the first season, Tiger Woods‘ long-time PGA Tour rival Phil Mickelson admitted that the TGL could be “great” for the sport of golf.

Woods, the 15-time major champion, is the co-founder of this league alongside Rory McIlroy. The golf great announced the formation of this league in 2022.

YouTube video

While the first season got delayed by a year after the arena got damaged, the excitement remained the same among fans. The inaugural season which kicked off this year, attracted a huge number of viewers and turned out to be a massive hit among the fans.

After the Atlanta Drive GC won the first season, Golf insider Dan Rapaport took to his X account to make his feelings known. In his tweet, he admitted that he enjoyed it more than he initially thought.

Phil Mickelson, who is highly active on social media, would come across this post. The “Lefty” admitted that this tech-infused league will be “great” for golf if this were to succeed even further.

In his tweet, the veteran golfer pointed out how golf fans are the most loyal ones. He then explained how they could simply grab a ticket and watch the action here instead of walking down all the 18 holes on a course.

That’s great news! It would be great for golf if this were to succeed… It could really be good for the game if it’s compelling.

Phil Mickelson on X

Phil Mickelson endorses fellow “Lefty” golfer Miles Russell following his triumph at Sage Valley Junior Invitational

A few days ago, 16-year-old golfer Miles Russell won the Sage Valley Junior Invitational. The young golfer won this tournament by finishing 9-under par for the event and two shots ahead of Jackson Byrd. Following his win, Phil Mickelson endorsed him on social media.

Phil Mickelson and Miles Russell
Phil Mickelson and Miles Russell (Image via Golf Digest/X/@flushingitgolf)

Mickelson, who turned professional in 1992, has won 45 times on the PGA Tour. One thing that makes him unique from the others golfers is his left-handed swinging. Despite being a righty, Mickelson swings with the use of his left hand and thus earned the nickname “Lefty”.

Russell also swings using his left hand. As he won the amateur tournament, Mickelson lauded his fellow “Lefty” golfer and claimed that he was someone whose career would be fun to watch.

It’s going to be fun watching this young lefty’s career!

Phil Mickelson on X

The triumph at the Sage Valley Junior Invitational was Russell’s 4th successive win. The young golfer has won in 4 out of his 5 previous starts, with the only exception being the Jones Cup where he finished 3rd in the standings.

He has also not finished outside the top-10 in a non-professional tournament since last summer. At that time, he finished 16th at the AJCA Junior Players tournament.

Phil Mickelson spotted training ahead of 2025 Masters Tournament

As the month of April inches closer, the excitement levels among golf fans regarding the Masters Tournament keeps on rising. Ahead of the 2025 event, 3-time winner Phil Mickelson was spotted training and hitting some tee shots alongside YouTube star Grant Horvat.

Phil Mickelson
Phil Mickelson (Image via Imago)

Horvat, who recently won the PGA Tour Creator Classic at the TPC Sawgrass before The Players Championship, shared a video of Mickelson hitting a tee shot. In the video shared on his Instagram stories, the 54-year-old golfer could be seen hitting launching his ball far away on the greens.

Before the season started, Mickelson expressed that he was aiming to play at the top level in the upcoming season. This came after he had another disappointing season on LIV Golf. As for the major championships, he finished T43 at the Masters and T60 at the Open Championship while missing the cut at the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open.

This year Mickelson has enjoyed a good time so far. After missing the first event due to an injury, he finished T23 in Adelaide while having a 3rd place finish in the Hong Kong event. At LIV Golf Singapore, he finished T19 and is currently ranked 15th in the individual standings.