Phil Mickelson is celebrating what he’s calling an “awesome day” for golf.
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday morning, the six-time major champion reacted to the PGA Tour’s bombshell announcement that it will be merging with the rival LIV Golf circuit into one company.
“Awesome day today,” the 52-year-old Mickelson wrote alongside a smiling emoji.
Mickelson famously defected to the controversial Saudi-backed tour in June 2022, along with Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, who became the first member of LIV to win a major tournament in May at the 2023 PGA Championship.
PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan confirmed Tuesday that the circuit and LIV will be joining forces, along with the European DP World Tour.
Phil Mickelson takes part in a press conference for LIV Golf on June 8, 2022.Getty Images
LIV Golf Commissioner Greg Norman with Phil Mickelson in June 2022.Getty Images“After two years of disruption and distraction, this is a historic day for the game we all know and love,” Monahan said in a statement. “This transformational partnership recognizes the immeasurable strength of the PGA TOUR’s history, legacy and pro-competitive model and combines with it the DP World Tour and LIV – including the team golf concept – to create an organization that will benefit golf’s players, commercial and charitable partners and fans. Going forward, fans can be confident that we will, collectively, deliver on the promise we’ve always made – to promote competition of the best in professional golf and that we are committed to securing and driving the game’s future.
“We are pleased to move forward, in step with LIV and PIF’s world-class investing experience, and I applaud PIF Governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan for his vision and collaborative and forward-thinking approach that is not just a solution to the rift in our game, but also a commitment to taking it to new heights. This will engender a new era in global golf, for the better.”
In addition to Mickelson, other golf stars weighed in on the stunning news, including the PGA’s Collin Morikawa.
Phil Mickelson competes at LIV Golf’s Singapore event on April 28, 2023.Getty Images“I love finding out news on Twitter,” Morikawa tweeted.
Elsewhere on the platform, former PGA Tour winner Smylie Kaufman reacted with a thinking face emoji before tweeting a gif of Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy melting down in a “glass case of emotion.”
“The golf world right now …,” he wrote.
Mickelson currently serves as the captain of the HyFlyers GC squad which also consists of James Piot, Brendan Steele, and Cameron Tringale.
