AUGUSTA — Is this year’s Masters a healing moment for the discord between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf?
Maybe.
“I see some of these guys at home. I see Brooks (Koepka) a lot. I see DJ (Dustin Johnson) a lot. We sort of practice at the same place,” Rory McIlroy said. “I think the more face time you get with some people, the more comfortable you become in some way. I’m going to go play nine holes here with Brooks in a little bit. And look, there’s so many – it’s a very nuanced situation, and there’s different dynamics. You know, it’s OK to get on with Brooks and DJ and maybe not get on with some other guys that went to LIV, right. It’s interpersonal relationships, that’s just how it goes.
“But this week and this tournament is way bigger than any of that, I feel, and it’s just great that all of the best players in the world are together again for the first time in what seems to be quite a while.”
Phil Mickelson may be one of those players McIlroy won’t be playing with in a practice round any time in the near future. McIlroy was asked if he had spoken with Mickelson. The two have been the face of their respective tours and outspoken on the issues between them.
“I have not spoken to Phil,” McIlroy said. “But it’s great to see him back. You know, he’s a three-time champion here. We’re not even two years removed from him doing what I believe is one of the greatest feats in the game of golf, winning the PGA Championship at 51 years of age, or whatever it was. It’s good to have him back.”
While a lot of the golfers at the Masters are trying to quell the controversy and hard feelings, some are not.
Bryson DeChambeau, Mickelson and Johnson all have worn their LIV Golf apparel at the Masters this week. Greg Norman said that if an LIV player wins this Masters, the other 17 will storm the 18th green in celebration.
“You know, I think that only puts more pressure on themselves that they are not just playing for themselves and they are playing for this cause,” McIlroy said. “That might help in some way, I don’t know. But as I said before, I think this tournament is bigger than all of that.
“Look, it’s a narrative and a storyline, but the Masters and the four major championships sit above all that noise, and that’s the way it should be this week.”
Koepka said the Tuesday practice round came after McIlroy sent a congratulatory text message following his LIV Golf win last week.
“He texted me congrats on Sunday, then I asked him if he wanted to play. We had that scheduled. It wasn’t just a random show up on the tee. I mean, I think everybody forgets that we see each other in off-weeks and play with each other and talk with each other. There’s an open line of communication there between me and him. I think we’re both pretty honest in where we’re at.”
Mickelson returns to Augusta
After sitting out the Masters a year ago, the three-time champion Mickelson returned to Augusta National on Tuesday. Unlike the roars that normally greet him, Mickelson unceremoniously rushed from the practice area and through the patrons to join his buddy Dustin Johnson on the 10th tee.
There were a few hoots and hollers for Mickelson, who stealthily joined Harold Varner III and Talor Gooch to play a quick nine. Mickelson slapped the extended hand of a young fan as he approached the tee, but was otherwise all business.
The gallery walking with the group grew in number as they navigated Amen Corner, but the mood of the crowd seemed to mirror that of Mickelson, who was wearing dark sunglasses and the shirt and hat of his LIV Golf team, the HyFlyers.
Most of the comments overheard in the gallery did not involve Mickelson’s involvement with LIV Golf but rather his weight. Mickelson is thin and lean – he even talked about passing on the skillet cookie with ice cream on the menu at the champions dinner – far from his beefier days.
He said he was pleased to be competing in his 30th Masters.
“It is my favorite week,” Mickelson said. “That’s the coolest thing about having won here is that you’re a part of this event and part of the history. It’s a really, really special thing.”
Varner said Mickelson was “super-engaged” during their practice round and didn’t hesitate to throw a little shade after the match, which paired Varner and Gooch versus Mickelson and Johnson.
“I think I heard, ‘We’re going to eat in the champions locker room,’” Varner said. “That’s about as bad as it can be.”
Mickelson has been the point man for the LIV players since its inception, but he diplomatically tried to diffuse the notion of divisiveness this week.
“We’ve had friendships, relationships for a long time,” Mickelson said. “I don’t see it being an issue. I really don’t.”
Mickelson’s record at Augusta has been average since he tied for second at the 2015 Masters. His best finish in the six tournament since then was a tie for 18th in 2019.
Legal defeat
LIV Golf suffered a legal defeat with a report in The Times that the Saudi-based tour lost a court battle with the DP World Tour. The loss means that the European Tour can impose sanctions on players who compete in conflicting events, notably LIV Golf.
European players, such as Sergio Garcia and Ian Poulter, will have to vacate their memberships on the DP World Tour to avoid sanctions of 100,000 pounds, almost $125,000. Those LIV Golf players then will not be able to play in DP World Tour events to accrue World Golf Ranking points.
The PGA Tour has suspended those players who jumped to LIV Golf. They can’t compete in tour events and accrue World Golf Ranking points.
McIlroy, an outspoken critic of LIV Golf, was asked about the decision during a pre-Masters press conference Tuesday.
“It looks like it’s not going to be announced until Thursday, so I don’t really – I don’t know if I can comment on it too much,” he said. “But you know, if that is the outcome, then that certainly changes the dynamic of everything. …
“I’m not a lawyer. But if the arbitration panel think that’s the right decision, then I have to go by what they say.”
-Stan Awtrey and Chris Vivlamore contributed to this article.
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
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