Phil Mickelson’s preference for his LIV Golf brethren has once again come back to haunt the former PGA Tour star known as ‘Lefty.’
It was in March when Mickelson offered a ‘hot take’ on the PGA’s top player, Scottie Scheffler, whom he ranked behind LIV’s Joaquín Niemann at the time.
Responding to a reaction from former Masters Champion and current TV analyst Trevor Immelman, Mickelson then took a swing at predicting Scheffler’s 2025 season.
‘Here’s a hot take,’ Mickelson’s X post began. ‘Does Scottie win in 2025 before the Ryder Cup? I don’t think so.’
Scheffler has won two majors since Mickelson’s post, the latest of which came on Sunday in Portrush, Northern Ireland where the 29-year-old beat second-place Harris English by four strokes with a -17.
Mickelson took the high road, congratulating Scheffler online: ‘Congrats to Scottie Scheffler on another impressive victory. So many irons shots were amazing and what a putting performance.’
Phil Mickelson finished The Open Championship at +1 to finish tied for 56th
: Scottie Scheffler of the United States lifts the Claret Jug on the 18th green alongside his wife Meredith Scheffler and son Bennett Scheffler following his latest major victory
Golf fans, however, were eager to remind Mickelson of his doomed March prediction.
‘But I thought he wasn’t going to win another one this year?’ asked one X user.
‘If he keeps this up, sooner or later he’s gonna enter the discussion with Joaquin Niemann as best golfer on earth,’ another sarcastic critic followed.
Others took mean-spirited shots at Mickelson’s admitted gambling problems.
But for the most part, golf fans engaged in some gentle ribbing: ‘Phil got some explaining to do about that tweet.’
Since Mickelson’s post Scheffler has won two majors, including this week’s Open
Scheffler was a 3-under-par 68 on Sunday to notch his 17th career PGA Tour win and his fourth since May.
‘He’s doing some Tiger-like stuff,’ Xander Schauffele said afterwards, as quoted by The Associated Press.
Rory McIlroy was equally effusive in his praise.
‘In a historical context, you could argue that there´s only maybe two or three players in the history of the game that have been on a run, the one that Scottie´s been on here for the last 24 to 36 months,’ said the native Northern Irishman. ‘Incredibly impressive.’
Mickelson finished The Open Championship at +1 to finish tied for 56th.
He famously split from the PGA Tour in 2022 to join Saudi Arabia’s upstart LIV Golf circuit. Since then, he’s been a central figure in the rival tours’ prolonged merger negotiations.
Scottie SchefflerPGA Tour
