Irish Examiner view: Legacy left in the bunker

Phil Mickelson has left himself exposed to accusations of greed with his comments about Saudi-backed golf tour  

Phil Mickelson watches his tee shot on the first hole during the third round of the Charles Schwab Cup Championship golf tournament Saturday, November 2021, in Phoenix. Picture: AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin

Whatever legacy six-time major winner Phil Mickelson once thought he might leave behind in golf has been left in tatters by an ugly, ill-considered decision by the Californian to join forces with a Saudi-backed alternative to the existing PGA and DP World Tour organisations.

Citing the ‘obnoxious greed’ of the PGA for his decision to back this proposed multi-gazillion Saudi venture, Mickelson has done little but leave himself exposed to accusations of naked money-grabbing on his own behalf.