Phil Mickelson supports Tiger Woods’ appointment to the PGA Tour’s policy board.
And he reads GOLF.com.
Through one tweet earlier this week, the embattled LIV Golf player and six-time major champion confirmed both statements.
Mickelson’s comment comes after the Tour said Tuesday that it has agreed with its players on new governance and transparency measures while also announcing Woods as its newest policy board member, moves that had been demanded after three Tour officials alone came to a proposed deal with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund. The news was reported by GOLF.com and shared on Twitter — which drew this response from Mickelson about four hours later:
“This is great to see. Players having equal representation on the board, Tiger getting more involved, and accountability across the board. Awesome news.”
Notably, Mickelson responded to another GOLF.com tweet, about 10 minutes earlier. More on that in a minute.
The Tour moves come after the Washington Post reported that 41 players — including Woods, Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler and several other stars — sent a letter to Tour commissioner Jay Monahan on Monday and demanded to have more say in the future of the Tour and for Woods to have a seat at the table. Woods has now been added as a sixth player director, joining McIlroy, Patrick Cantlay, Charley Hoffman, Peter Malnati and Webb Simpson. The board also consists of five independent directors (chairman Ed Herlihy, Jimmy Dunne, Mark Flaherty, Mary Meeker and a to-be-announced replacement for Randall Stephenson) and PGA of America director John Lindert.
Before the letter, players had voiced frustration since the Tour-PIF deal was announced in June. Many learned of it through social media, details have been scarce, and the agreement comes after the Tour had fought for over a year with LIV Golf, which is also backed by the PIF.
This is great to see. Players having equal representation on the board, Tiger getting more involved, and accountability across the board. Awesome news.
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 2, 2023
“Most of the players on the PGA Tour are together and sort of want to be informed and want to have a say in sort of what happens,” Xander Schauffele said last month at the Scottish Open. “Right now, you know, with this hearing and everything that’s going on, these are just sort of steps in the process to getting, I guess, not what we want but more transparency and sort of getting a seat at the table. It’s a for-members organization and that’s what it should be.”
The deal, meanwhile, remains a framework agreement, with much to be decided. According to the Tour’s announcement on Tuesday, players and Monahan will work together to amend the policy board’s governing documents so that no major decision can be made without the prior involvement and approval of the board’s player directors. Colin Neville, the player directors’ special advisor, will also have full access to the framework agreement. Perhaps most important, player directors “will have full transparency and the authority to approve — or to decline to approve — any potential changes to the Tour as part of the framework agreement discussions.”
Woods, notably, hadn’t spoken publicly about the merger until Tuesday, and the 15-time major winner been largely out of the public eye for the past several months as he’s recovered from injuries that have kept him out of major championships.
“This is a critical point for the Tour, and the players will do their best to make certain that any changes that are made in Tour operations are in the best interest of all Tour stakeholders, including fans, sponsors and players,” Woods said in the release. “The players thank commissioner Monahan for agreeing to address our concerns, and we look forward to being at the table with him to make the right decisions for the future of the game that we all love. He has my confidence moving forward with these changes.”
And Mickelson, perhaps the face of LIV Golf, appears to be supportive, too.
As for Mickelson’s second response to a GOLF.com tweet?
It appears he’s also supportive of the latest club releases from Callaway — a longtime sponsor that has paused its relationship with him. Earlier this week, GOLF.com also tweeted out a story describing all-new Callaway Apex irons and utility — which drew this response from Mickelson about an hour later:
“They are awesome. Got them last week and immediately put them in the bag. Sound, feel, performance are all amazing.”
