{"id":436492,"date":"2025-08-22T22:04:53","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T22:04:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/?p=436492"},"modified":"2025-08-22T22:04:53","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T22:04:53","slug":"better-than-i-ever-imagined-mickelson-reveals-why-liv-golf-beats-the-pga-tour","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/better-than-i-ever-imagined-mickelson-reveals-why-liv-golf-beats-the-pga-tour\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cBetter Than I Ever Imagined\u201d \u2013 Mickelson Reveals Why LIV Golf Beats the PGA Tour"},"content":{"rendered":"

Phil Mickelson<\/a> has revealed why he believes LIV Golf is better than the PGA Tour. The six-time major winner has been one of the biggest names to move from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed league, and he is clear about why he prefers his new home.<\/p>\n

Mickelson Used To Feel Anxious On PGA Tour<\/h3>\n

Mickelson says the difference begins with how he feels at tournaments. He admitted that during his years on the PGA Tour, he often felt anxious and even dreaded showing up to events. He would delay arriving at tournaments and carry a heavy sense of stress throughout the week. In contrast, he says LIV Golf events feel completely different.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the players\u2019 experience, rather than going into every little detail, I would just say that I used to have anxiousness going to a [PGA Tour] event with all the details and things that would go on,\u201d Mickelson said. \u201cI would be anxious and not want to go. I\u2019d go as late as I could. At a LIV event, I can\u2019t wait to get here. I come earlier. I can\u2019t wait to get here. The experience from a player\u2019s standpoint, it\u2019s better than I could have ever imagined.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mickelson also pointed to the fans, saying the atmosphere at PGA Tour events can often feel tense. With quiet rules, strict etiquette, and long rounds, he believes that many fans leave tournaments feeling more worn out than entertained.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can\u2019t really say from the fans\u2019 point of view other than what I\u2019ve heard because I haven\u2019t been a spectator,\u201d Mickelson said Thursday.<\/a> \u201cIt seems that, when fans are leaving [LIV events], they\u2019ve had a good time. They\u2019ve left relaxed, enjoying themselves and wanting more, rather than having the day drag on, feeling tired and run down, and being stressed about not interfering and being quiet and so forth. It seems as though the fans have walked away from the experience having fun and wanting more.\u201d<\/p>\n

LIV Golf More Appealing to a Younger Audience<\/h3>\n

Mickelson also argued that LIV Golf is helping the sport reach a younger audience. He believes the league\u2019s style and presentation are more appealing to a new generation of fans who want golf to feel more exciting and modern. The music, team format, and shorter three-day events all add to that appeal.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Aug 22, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Phil Mickelson of HyFlyers GC address the media after the quarterfinals of the LIV Golf Michigan Team Championship at The Cardinal at Saint John’s Resort. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He said that while the PGA Tour has tradition and history on its side, it has not done enough to keep younger people engaged.<\/a> LIV Golf, he claims, is making the game \u201ccool again\u201d and is attracting fans who may never have paid attention to the sport before.<\/p>\n

The 54-year-old\u2019s comments come at a time when the rivalry between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf<\/a> is still a major talking point in the game. While some golfers remain loyal to the Tour, others have followed Mickelson to LIV for both financial and competitive reasons. Mickelson insists his decision was about more than money. For him, it is about enjoying the game again and feeling part of something that excites both players and fans.<\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: \u00a9 Melissa Tamez-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Phil Mickelson has revealed why he believes LIV Golf is better than the PGA Tour. The six-time major winner has been one of the biggest names to move from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed league, and he is clear about why he prefers his new home. Mickelson Used To Feel Anxious On PGA Tour […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5425,"featured_media":436499,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[15,200,19],"tags":[70],"class_list":["post-436492","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-golf","category-liv-golf","category-pga","tag-phil-mickelson"],"modified_by":"Ajayi Segun","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436492","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5425"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=436492"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436492\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":436500,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/436492\/revisions\/436500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/436499"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=436492"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=436492"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/golf\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=436492"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}