Phil Mickelson has been labelled a 'b******* artist' by one of his fellow LIV Golf players, following the six-time major champion's trip to Saudi Arabia after joining the breakaway circuit last year.
Mickelson became the poster boy of LIV Golf after becoming one of the biggest names to make the controversial move from the PGA Tour in 2022. His switch did not come without drama though, after the 52-year-old broke a four-month silence to join the breakaway league.
His silence began after Mickelson had labelled the Saudi Arabian 'scary m************', before seemingly playing down the nation's poor human rights record in order to 'gain leverage on the PGA Tour during an interview with his biographer Alan Shipnuck.
The 54-time Tour winner was slammed, with his once glittering reputation left in tatters. Months on Mickelson finally made a return to professional golf, after move to LIV was eventually confirmed ahead of their inaugural event at Centurion Club last summer.
Over a year on from the release of his biography 'Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorised!) Biography of Golf's Most Colourful Superstar' author Shipnuck has updated the book with accounts from that very first LIV event in St Albans. In the excerpt, an unnamed LIV star documented how Mickelson was trying to make amends with those of the Saudi Kingdom on his first visit since his controversial comments.
“This was Mickelson’s first visit to the Kingdom since he had been quoted calling its people 'scary motherf******'," Shipnuck writes. "He channeled all that anxiety into a relentless charm offensive. A fellow LIV golfer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, says, 'If you think Phil is a b******* artist normally, this was another level.
"You’ve never seen anyone kiss so much a** with that kind of enthusiasm and skill. He was ‘on’ from the second he got off the plane and never broke character.' 'I’m pretty sure by the end of the week he could have been elected mayor of King Abdullah City, if they actually held elections over there.'”
Shipnuck himself was embroiled in the drama, having been removed from Mickelson's LIV London press conference by security following the release of the 'scary mother f*****s' quotes. Footage of the writer being ushered out emerged on social media, with LIV CEO Greg Norman watching over in the back.
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The biographer then infamously posted a text exchange between himself and Norman, in which the Aussie boss claimed to be none the wiser in regard to Shipnuck's exit, despite being pictured in the background of the clip. Detailing his run-in with Norman, he wrote: "I really hadn’t wanted to go public with the events of the press conference because the whole thing was so dumb, but Norman’s bald-faced lie was too outrageous to let slide...
"The tweet went global, overshadowing the first round of the tournament. It got so much traction because it confirmed the widespread belief that Norman is a schmuck. My ejection from an otherwise innocuous press conference also fed the all-too-easy narrative of the Saudis’ aggressive disdain for a free press.”
