Phil Mickelson:  ‘I respect Rory. I respect his ideas’

Under fire American star addresses the press on LIV Golf decision at Brookline ahead of the US Open

Phil Mickelson speaks to the media ahead of the 2022 US Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts. Picture: AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty

There are a lot of words that can describe Phil Mickelson’s first encounter with the press corps in the mainland United States since last August – awkward, uncomfortable, confrontational, evasive, disingenuous, repulsive. All of them are accurate. But the word that most describes what we saw for 22 minutes in a cramped, standing-room-only interview tent on Monday afternoon at The Country Club is simply … sad.

Mickelson – once so confident in his stature as one of the most beloved fan favorites in golf – has been reduced to a stammering husk of his former self. Just 13 months ago he stood at the pinnacle of the game as the oldest player to win a major championship, a feat that prompted throngs to abandon all Covid protocols and storm the final fairway just to walk in the shadow of his triumph.