LIV GOLF INVITATIONAL SERIES: JEDDAH

October 13, 2022

Phil Mickelson

Royal Greens Golf & Country Club

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Welcome Phil Mickelson captain of the Hy Flyers.

Q. Wondering what you're doing from a captaincy standpoint to kind of prep for Miami and to build the chemistry for the team for the Hy Flyers.

PHIL MICKELSON: So we're pretty far down the list and we're not in a position to get a bye on Friday. So we're trying to use this week as let's get our game sharp. We have a lot of good players. We haven't put it together. We need to build a little bit of momentum as we head into the final event of the year.

We'll have some time then to kind of regroup, get ready for upcoming year. And there's a lot of things internally that are happening within as we transition from LIV to the League. So there's a lot of things happening there. But we have a chance here to gain a little bit of momentum, play well on a golf course that's fun to play, very similar to when we're going to be playing in Doral, try to build some momentum.

We have to play one extra day, big deal. Let's go out and play well, win our point and move on to the weekend. I think that we have enough good players to do it, we just have to just start playing the golf that we're capable of playing.

Q. How much have you enjoyed being in the captain's role this season?

PHIL MICKELSON: It's been interesting. I really, I like it in the future as we transition down that road. But we really haven't started the League and the team aspect of it until next year. Even though there's remnants of it this year.

Next year there will be a lot more cohesiveness involved with the team as we look, as the team takes upon all the individual responsibilities. So our travel, our expenses, our uniforms, all the details of it will really start to take place next year.

It's been a lot of work, but I think in the long run once we get going after a year or two I think it's going to be a really cool thing.

Give you one example that, as an individual, when you, when we're playing, we try to put together our own team, our own physical fitness, our own training, physical trainer, physical therapist. We have our own instruction. We have places we play, practice, how we travel.

So being able to travel together that's one thing. Being able to have a team where we're dividing the cost up amongst -- the team's covering the cost but spreading it out over four guys essentially that include training, include therapists will allow us to be in a position to succeed, play our best, elongate our career. And those are intangibles that we really don't have in the individual aspects of playing professional golf that this team aspect provides.

Q. You made some comments about this country last year which you've apologized for. I wondered how you feel about now you're here? Have you changed your opinion?

PHIL MICKELSON: So I will reiterate, I never did an interview with Alan Shipnuck. And I find that my experience with everybody associated with LIV Golf has been nothing but incredibly positive and I have the utmost respect for everybody that I've been involved with.

Q. You really started playing pretty good in Bangkok. Three 69s in a row. Do you feel like you kind of turned the corner with your game and you're about to have great weekend?

PHIL MICKELSON: So it's interesting because I ended up shooting 3-under all three rounds, but I started behind giving away three shots every round. I felt like I was spotting the field three shots every round. That's nine shots that precluded me or prohibited me from contending and having a chance to win.

Eliminating those mistakes, getting off to a better start and being in a little bit better frame of mind right from the start is going to be important for me to be successful and to compete. I feel like I'm playing well enough to do that, but I've got to eliminate some of those errors. But the quality of shots and the performance is there, but I've got to get the score there.

Q. (Question about henna tattoo.)

PHIL MICKELSON: I did. Yeah.

Q. (No Microphone.)

PHIL MICKELSON: It was supposed to be this (indicating.) Didn't really turn out that way (laughing.) It's not permanent though. So it was just something we had last night at the dinner there. There was some people making little painting on little henna tattoos, so I went for it.

Q. Obviously when you were here last time things have changed a lot in the world of golf. But this was sort of on the cusp of people's minds, LIV Golf. Something was going to happen. At that point what did you envision and how much is it different than maybe what you thought it might be?

PHIL MICKELSON: Well it evolved a lot and will continue to evolve over time. There were a lot of opportunities that were left open for somebody to come in and do this.

I think if you look back into the '70s what happened with cricket is probably the best analogy. I think that, as I said earlier, for a long, long time, my 30 years on the PGA TOUR, pretty much all the best players played on the PGA TOUR, at least for the last 20 years. That will never be the case again. I think going forward you have to pick a side. You have to pick what side do you think is going to be successful.

And I firmly believe that I'm on the winning side of how things are going to evolve and shape in the coming years for professional golf.

We play against a lot of the best players in the world on LIV and there are a lot of the best players in the world on the PGA TOUR. And until some of the -- well until both sides sit down and have a conversation and work something out, both sides are going to continue to change and evolve.

And I see LIV Golf trending upwards, I see the PGA TOUR trending downwards and I love the side that I'm on. And I love how I feel. I love how I'm reinvigorated and excited to play golf and compete. I love the experience. I love the way they treat us.

I love the way they involve us and listen to us in decisions. I mean it's so inclusive, it's so fluid that things, LIV Golf is leading. Whether it's shorts, whether it's other aspects of professional golf that are going to change and evolve, those positions will be led by LIV.

Q. Are you surprised at all, given that there were some setbacks at the early point that they were able to pull it off to this degree? In other words, seventh tournament, you're going to have an eighth, they have all played out and in rather short order.

PHIL MICKELSON: I'm not surprised, no. I believe in the passion -- look, the game of golf is very lucky to have the PIF invest in the game. The sport of the game of golf is being influxed with billions of dollars now. And the ability to go global and make golf a truly global sport is really beneficial for the game.

Now the United States and the U.K. are not favorable to this. But everywhere outside of the world LIV Golf is loved. And eventually they come around and they will be accepting of it. But everywhere else in the world, the ability to move these tournaments throughout the world -- and I've spoke with people that have had dealings that have not been positive with the TOUR and have had nothing but positive experience with LIV.

It opens up opportunities to move professional golf throughout the world in other countries and grow the game internationally.

Now, again, outside a few countries, the United States and the U.K., where it's very negatively viewed currently, that has been changing and evolving already and in time in a few years it will be not only accepted but appreciated the involvement and the influx of capital into this sport and what it's doing.

Q. I wanted to, you mentioned the World Cricket League and I'm not a big expert, but I think that Cricket league ended up, is not around anymore. I think it ended up being subsumed by the bigger tours. So what's to stop this happening to LIV?

PHIL MICKELSON: The single game trials, and again I'm, I didn't grow up with cricket, but I am becoming somewhat aware of what Kerry Packer did to evolve cricket and to pay professional cricket players a reasonable fee.

I mean, I think they were making two hundred dollars a game back in the '70s and they weren't getting paid and there wasn't television rights and they were all having to have jobs. And yet there was still money coming in.

And when Kerry Packer came and got involved and started page the guys and started paying them what they were worth and what they were bringing in, it totally changed. And we're seeing that happen now.

Q. A course questions. Obviously you played here in the early part of the season or early part of the year. How different, if any, will it play now in October?

PHIL MICKELSON: It is playing different. It's quite a bit softer and so some of the penalties and nuances of this golf course probably aren't coming out the way they did in February. So it will play a little bit easier and we'll see scoring a little bit better.

The wind is supposed to be strong. We're all playing in the afternoon. So we don't have that morning wave like we did in February. So that could be a factor in making the scores not as low. But the softness of the course will make it more susceptible for birdies and I think the scores will be a little bit lower than we saw earlier.

Q. In Sweden Henrik Stenson has received a massive criticism since he joined the LIV Tour and a few weeks ago the Swedish Golf Association ended their cooperation and partnership with him. How do you feel for him?

PHIL MICKELSON: I think that it's very shortsighted of the Swedish Golf Association. I think they're making a big mistake. I think given all that Henrik Stenson has done to grow the game within the country of Sweden. From having his event and his partnership with Annika and having events, growing the game with kids, putting capital through his foundation in the game, I think it's shortsighted, but also disrespectful for all that he's done for the game of golf. I think in the end they're the ones that are going to look foolish.

Q. Today's pro-am saw one of the Saudi players doing really well. Do you think maybe in the future we'll see one Saudi player in the LIV Invitationals?

PHIL MICKELSON: So the answer is yes, I do believe that we will start to see some players from Saudi Arabia play on the LIV Tour. Saud is a great start.

When golf became an Olympic sport we started to see a lot of money go into golf in countries like Korea, like China, India, parts of, other parts of Asia. And today, 16 years later or so or however many years later, 10 years later, we're starting to see many of those players make it on tour in professional golf.

I think that we are starting to see that investment in Saudi golf and the young players from Saudi Arabia start to come up. And in 10 years time I think you're going to see a lot of players from this country on tours in professional golf, both men and women.

Q. In terms of the team, how are you guys prepared and what were your words for the team members?

PHIL MICKELSON: My words were for the team is that let's use this week to build momentum for Doral, to get our games sharp and to be competitive and ready. We're going to be playing on Friday at Doral. Like no matter how we play here, I don't think we can, even if we win, get a bye, get past that first day.

So let's use this week to play well individually, make a bunch of cash, but also get our games ready and build some momentum into the team championship.