On Tuesday night, TGL — the new indoor simulator golf league featuring PGA Tour stars — wrapped up its first season. In the end, Atlanta Drive took down New York Golf Club to win the SoFi Cup in front of an electric crowd at the SoFi Center. But one person praising the TGL’s early success afterward came as a surprise: Phil Mickelson.
Mickelson comments on TGL
Following Atlanta Drive’s TGL finals win, many writers, fans and players took to social media to share their thoughts on whether the first TGL season was a success (you can read GOLF’s Dylan Dethier and Nick Piastowski’s reflections on Season 1 here).
Whether or not Mickelson watched the final match, he was at least following along on X, which he’s recently returned to using frequently after a lengthy layoff when LIV Golf first launched.
In response to an X post by golf journalist Dan Rapaport about the end of TGL’s first season, Mickelson made a statement that might come as a big surprise to anyone familiar with the PGA Tour-LIV feud over the past three years.
“That’s great news! It would be great for golf if this were to succeed. The golf fan is the most loyal fan in sports. Buy a ticket, walk miles and see a fraction of the action,” Mickelson wrote on X. “But this could allow the golf fan to buy a ticket, sit down and watch of the action just like other sports. It could really be good for the game if it’s compelling.”
Why Phil thinks TGL is ‘good for the game’
Mickelson’s reasoning is simple. As he detailed, in other pro sports fans get to sit in a seat close to the action and watch the entire game if they so choose. Traditional golf tournaments are different, requiring spectators traipse all over a golf course and miss most of the shots played.
According to Mickelson, the TGL presents an opportunity for golf fans to experience something that is much more like an NBA basketball game.
However, Mickelson added one qualifier at the end of his post, saying the TGL could be good for golf at large “if it’s compelling.” So far, the signs are good in terms of the league’s ability to attract and entertain viewers, but it’s way too early to predict continued success in the future.
Why Phil’s comments are surprising
The reason Mickelson’s comments were unexpected is because of the years-long feud between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf. Mickelson was one of the early promoters of LIV Golf, ditching his Tour career in 2022 to join up.
The launch of the new tour caused a big rift in professional golf, with players who joined Phil on LIV pitted against those who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour. Early on, insults and attacks were common, until a framework agreement was finalized between the Tour and LIV’s backers, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund (PIF), in 2023.
Since then, the acrimonious relationship has improved, though barbs still fly on occasion. As for TGL, it is firmly situated on the PGA Tour side of the feud. It was founded by Tour loyalists Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, features only Tour stars and is partially owned by the Tour.
Given that Mickelson is a leading figure on the other side of the feud, his comments Tuesday night in support of TGL caught a lot of people by surprise.
Mickelson and 2025 Masters
After struggling on the course for much of his LIV career, Mickelson is starting to find his form in 2025. He earned his best LIV result yet in early March when he finished third at LIV Golf Hong Kong.
And his comeback is happening at exactly the right time. The 2025 Masters is only two weeks away. With three Masters titles to his name, Mickelson is always a threat at Augusta National. But this year he’s heading into the first major of the year with increased confidence, as he explained after the event in Hong Kong.
“The fact is I’m hitting a lot of good shots,” he said. “I’m playing some good golf, and this is a building week as I continue to build into LIV and my goal of accomplishing a win in LIV as well as winning another major, getting ready for Augusta.”
