Phil Mickelson has talked about LIV Golf's position in the sport's landscape - describing it as a global additive to the more USA-focused PGA Tour and a better verhicle for attracting younger fans.
Mickelson and Greg Norman played the parts of the great disruptors when LIV Gof launched in a much more combative and hostile argument with the PGA Tour establishment - a move which garnered a huge amount of headlines as well as a lawsuit or two.
The situation is slowly calming down, although there's still no final deal between the Saudi PIF and PGA Tour over a way forward with both sides working together.
It's been a good winter for LIV Golf commercially though, notbaly with a TV deal with FOX Sports which will vastly increase visibility for fans mainly in the biggest market of the United States.
There's also been a slew of apparel deals with LIV teams, including Mickelson's own HyFlyers, and the team tour is now looking to settle into the role of a global change of pace to the regular PGA Tour calendar.
Appearing in a FOX Business exclusive, Mickelson voiced his delight at the TV deal LIV had struck with the broadcasting giant.
"It’s helping us create a lot of value for our sponsors, and sponsors are coming more now with the value that FOX brings," said Mickelson.
"And hopefully, it’ll be added value for FOX and be consistent with that cutting edge, innovative, younger target audience."
And whereas previous comments had been all about how LIV was a superior product in more vitriolic language, Mickelson now says that the team golf tour is "an additive" to the sport's landscape - as the only true global golfing competition.
"We’re trying to become an added value to the golf ecosystem. The old model was not getting the younger players involved, it wasn’t a global model," said Mickelson
"We’re the first global model for golf. We’re able to bring the best players, best teams throughout the world. That hasn’t been the case, so we’re trying to help grow the game on a global basis. We’re all additive. We’re all in this together. We're only 14 weeks a year, there's 38 other weeks of golf."
First 2v2 in the books. Take a guess who pic.twitter.com/B35Iq3d86RJanuary 11, 2025
Mickelson is convinced LIV Golf has a better chance of bringing in younger viewers, and players, than the current PGA Tour product.
"The PGA Tour’s done a great job for many years, but it’s a national centric-based model, where we’re much more global, we’re much younger target audience, much younger in different demographics we’re trying to hit.
"We’re trying to make the fan experience on site much more enjoyable. We’re additive rather than competitive."
One of the ways the likes of Mickelson and Bryson DeChambeau in particular are trying to increase their visibility among younger viewers is through YouTube - which the 54-year-old says has given him a boost in energy.
"YouTube is a whole other way of reaching that young target audience," he added. "Look, long live golf, we want golf to live on, it's given my life so much and I want to do evetything I can to bring golf to the masses.
"YouTube, again, is additive, being able to hit a whole new demographic. I'm appreciative to Grant Horvat and Bryson DeChambeau for really showing what the model of golf on YouTube can be for professionals.
"I've only had three videos out but I'm working on it. It's given me a whole different energy and excitement for the game at 54."
