Phil Mickelson reacts to news of LIV Golf merger with PGA Tour

In stunning news Tuesday, the PGA Tour announced its merger with the Saudi-backed LIV Tour and Phil Mickelson was quite pleased.

Mickelson was at the forefront of the LIV Tour during its inception. The future Hall of Famer left the PGA Tour for a lump sum and was practically the poster child for golf’s initial division.

But the two sides came together in a merger with the PGA and LIV Tours, in addition to other factors. Safe to say, Mickelson was excited.

“Awesome day today (smiling emoji),” Mickelson wrote on Twitter.

Mickelson loves to tweet about the PGA versus LIV. And in late May, he made an interesting claim.

“Love LIV or hate it, it’s the best way/Tour to be your best in the majors,” Mickelson wrote on Twitter. “Enough events to keep you sharp, fresh and ready, yet not be worn down from too many tournaments or obligations. 14 LIV events, 34 weeks left open to prepare for the 4 majors. Fact.”

Tension between the two sides came about shortly after LIV started in June 2022. LIV players were suspended from competing in PGA Tour events after the Saudi-backed tour came about last year. The two tours are also at the center of an antitrust lawsuit in which LIV sued the PGA Tour for bad faith and “egregious interference with LIV Golf’s contractual and prospective business relationships,” according to Golf Digest. 

Eleven players were involved in the suit, but they all removed their names as a result. According to CNBC, however, the PGA Tour and LIV Golf would “squash pending litigation and move forward as a larger golf enterprise.”

Phil Mickelson happy for LIV, PGA Tour merger

This is the type of news that Mickelson loved to hear regarding LIV and PGA. But it remains to be seen if the LIV players who defected from the tour would be welcomed back with open arms.

Of course, it seems like everyone will play together again on a regular basis, but one has to wonder about the rift between certain players.

As Mickelson alluded to, the LIV Tour did not seem to affect players when they returned for major tournaments alongside PGA players.

Last month, Brooks Koepka became the first LIV player to win a major when he won the U.S. Open. He was also in contention at The Masters before Jon Rahm won the green jacket.

Nick Schultz contributed to this report.