AT HARM’S LENGTH
ST. ANDREWS, Scotland — Phil Mickelson revealed Thursday that the R&A advised him not to partake in activities for past champions this week at St. Andrews.
The R&A, the governing body for the British Open, conducted the Celebration of Champions, a four-hole exhibition featuring past champions on Monday, and there was a champions dinner on Tuesday night.
Much in the way LIV Golf leader Greg Norman was uninvited from coming to St. Andrews this week, Mickelson was informed that the R&A would prefer he stay away — other than playing the tournament.
“The R&A contacted me a couple weeks before and said, ‘Look, we don’t think it’s a great idea you go, but if you want to, you can,’ ’’ Mickelson said Thursday after shooting an even-par opening round on the Old Course. “I just didn’t want to make a big deal about it, so I said, ‘Fine.’ We both kind of agreed that it would be best if I didn’t.’’
When asked a third time about not being invited to the festivities, Mickelson bristled and said: “Let it go, dude. Let it go. That’s three times you’ve asked the same question. I don’t know what to tell you. I couldn’t be happier.’’
An R&A official confirmed Mickelson’s account of the contact, that the organization wanted him to stay away for fear that it would bring an unwanted distraction to their celebration of the 150th Open.
Mickelson, 52, has been the face of the Norman-led, Saudi-backed LIV Golf tour and has received the most backlash over it. That includes from Tiger Woods, who on Tuesday was vocal in his disdain for players involved with LIV Golf.
“I have a lot of respect for him. I respect his opinion,” Mickelson said of Woods. “I think everybody’s going to have strong emotions and opinions about it, and I certainly respect his.’’
Mickelson, who was paid a reported $200 million by the Saudis, again defended his choice to play for LIV Golf.
“I made the right decision for me,’’ he said. “And I’m excited about having the opportunity to play competitive golf and have it in my life in a more moderate scale to where I can do some things outside of that, too. I freed up a lot of time as well. I couldn’t be happier. I think it’s been really good. I can’t wait to get to New Jersey and play another event there [in two weeks at Trump National in Bedminster].
“The player experience, the experience of those events from a player standpoint is a 10. You can’t get it any better. Look, it’s not my job to explain or help you understand or whatever. I couldn’t be more excited and ecstatic with where I’m at. I love the events. I get to have golf in my life and competitive golf in my life on a scale that is fun, exciting, different, and lets me play and compete but still do the things outside that I want to do.’’
Asked about the impact the fallout has had on him personally, Mickelson said: “It’s all going to play out in time. I think it’s all going to play out and end up where it should be in time.’’
On the golf course, though, Mickelson looks like a player searching for his form after taking four months away from the game. The Open is his seventh event in 2022 (three PGA Tour events, two LIV Golf events and the Saudi Invitational). In the previous six, he was a combined 37-over, missed three cuts, made one and played in the two LIV Golf events in which there is no cut.
“I had four months off, [and] obviously when I came back I wasn’t really sharp,’’ Mickelson said. “I thought I was playing a little bit better than I was. My game doesn’t feel far off at all. I let a few strokes slide [Thursday], but for the most part, I actually feel pretty good with the parts. I’ve just got to bring them together to make the whole.
“I actually think I have some good rounds in me. I think I’m going to play really well the next few days.’’