LOUISVILLE, KY – AUGUST 08: Tiger Woods (R) of the United States and Phil Mickelson (L) of the United States walk off the 18th teen during the second round of the 96th PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club on August 8, 2014 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
By Stacey Mickles on

There’s been a lot of chatter recently about PGA players wanting to leave the tour and play on the LIV Golf series, which is backed by the Saudi government. Some players think it’s a good idea and others do not.

Two golfers who appear to be on opposite sides of that discussion are Phil Mickelson and Tiger Woods. Mickelson and players like Sergio Garcia want to abandon the PGA Tour and play in the Saudi tournaments. Woods is very committed to the PGA and its legacy.

Mickelson hasn’t made an appearance this season on the PGA Tour and won’t be defending his PGA Championship this year after making some nasty remarks about the tour. Mickelson basically admitted he was trying to pit one tour against the other for monetary gain, which did not sit well with many people. He also tried to downplay the many human rights violations the Saudi government has been involved with.

Appearing at a PGA Championship press conference on Tuesday, Tiger talked about Phil missing this major.

“It’s always disappointing when the defending champion is not here,” Woods said. “Phil has said some things that I think a lot of us who are committed to the Tour and committed to the legacy of the Tour have pushed back against. And he’s taken some personal time, and we all understand that.”

Tiger Woods also came to the defense of the PGA Tour and all it has done over the years.

“I understand different viewpoints, but I believe in legacies. I believe in major championships. I believe in big events, comparisons to historical figures of the past. There’s plenty of money out here. The Tour is growing. You have to go out there and earn it. You’ve got to go out there and play for it. We have the opportunity to go ahead and do it. It’s just not guaranteed upfront,” said Woods.

Mickelson and Woods are the tour’s biggest stars and, recently, the PGA has taken measures to ensure that it remains that way.

Mickelson hasn’t announced his comeback or if he will be making a return to the PGA Tour.

{New York Post}

About Stacey Mickles

Stacey is a 1995 graduate of the University of Alabama who has previously worked for other publications such as Sportskeeda and Saturday Down South.

View all posts by Stacey Mickles