AL MUROOJ, Saudi Arabia — Phil Mickelson looks on during a practice round prior to the PIF Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on February 01, 2023. | Photo by Luke Walker/WME IMG/WME IMG via Getty Images
Golf Channel’s Eamon Lynch harshly criticized LIV Golf’s Phil Mickelson, who continues to chirp LIV dissenters on social media.
Phil Mickelson continues to be in the news, and not for his performance on the golf course.
Eamon Lynch, a Golf Channel journalist, ripped into Mickelson, labeling him a “pawn for murderers” and a “viable foot soldier for the Saudis.”
LIV Golf, which Mickelson has endorsed since its inception, has received almost $1 billion in funding from the Public Investment Fund, the sovereign wealth fund for Saudi Arabia.
Critics of LIV believe the Saudi Kingdom is sportswashing—using sport to improve its standing on the international stage, despite having a terrible human rights record.
Mickelson recognizes this, which is what Lynch has a problem with.
“We know [Saudi Arabia] killed [Washington Post journalist Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights,” Mickelson said to author Alan Shipnuck some 15 months ago. “They execute people over there for being gay.”
Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images
AL MUROOJ, Saudi Arabia — Phil Mickelson walks on the 10th fairway during Day One of the PIF Saudi International at Royal Greens Golf & Country Club on February 2, 2023.
He even referred to the Saudis as “scary mother f***ers” when speaking with Shipnuck.
“Knowing all of this, why would I even consider it?” Mickelson said. “Because this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates.”
Indeed, the PGA Tour has since changed its structure. Elevated tournaments, larger purses, and guaranteed money for players missing cuts are now a part of the tour’s structure.
Nonetheless, Mickelson continues to support LIV Golf and respond to his critics.
I was right (again)
Eamon comes to Brandel’s defense.
You both have an obsession with me (and LIV) that requires professional help. Wishing you both all the best with that.
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) June 2, 2023
Working alongside Lynch at Golf Channel is Brandel Chamblee, another LIV dissident.
Both journalists share similar opinions on LIV Golf and have gone back and forth with Mickelson on the subject.
“As I have said many times, LIV Golf is not so much a sports entity as it is [Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia] trying to hide their atrocities and launder its reputation by buying sports stars,” Chamblee tweeted. “Any yielding to or agreement with them is a deal with a murderous dictator.”
Yet, Chamblee blocked Mickelson on Twitter, hoping not to interact with the six-time major winner on the platform any further.
Consequently, Lynch fired back at Mickelson for questioning his critics even more.
“[Mickelson] insists that criticism of LIV is a matter of commerce (an established tour against an upstart), a matter of conspiracy (an established tour trying to prevent the upstart gaining market traction), or a matter of collusion (sundry entities and individuals plotting with the established tour to smother the upstart),” Lynch wrote. “What he dodges is that objections to LIV can also genuinely be a matter of conscience.”
Undoubtedly, LIV Golf has its controversies. More may develop as time goes on, especially if the Saudi-backed tour has to file as a foreign principal through the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
If the U.S. Justice Department requires them to do so, LIV Golf will have to expose its financial history, revenue, and business intents.
If so, Mickelson’s responses to his critics will surely interest many.
