Somewhere, one has to think Phil Mickelson’s ears are burning.
A day after Rory McIlroy blistered Mickelson for comments the World Golf Hall of Fame member made concerning the proposed Saudi Arabia-backed, Greg Norman-led Super Golf League, six-time PGA Tour winner and 2014 FedEx Cup champion Billy Horschel weighed in.
“Idiotic.”
“Complete lies.”
“False.”
Those were some of the words Horschel had for Mickelson, who just nine months ago started riding a wave of adoration after becoming the oldest winner of a major championship at the PGA. In speaking with Matt Adams on the Fairways of Life golf show Monday, Horschel, who is member of the Tour’s Player Advisory Council, also said Mickelson’s reputation and legacy have been tarnished and his Ryder Cup captaincy could be in question.
“I’ll put it this way. They were a little bit idiotic,” Horschel said of Mickelson’s contentions told to Alan Shipnuck of the Firepit Collective and author of the soon-to-be-released book, “Phil: The Rip-Roaring (and Unauthorized!) Biography of Golf’s Most Colorful Superstar.” Mickelson told Shipnuck that he was one of the architects behind the proposed Saudi Arabia league and said he hoped to use the league that is guaranteeing exorbitant amounts of money as leverage against the PGA Tour. This despite saying of the regime in Saudi Arabia, which has been harshly criticized for its human rights record, “They’re scary motherf—–s to get involved with,” he said to Shipnuck. “I’m not sure I even want (the SGL) to succeed, but just the idea of it is allowing us to get things done with the (PGA) Tour.”
Earlier this year, Mickelson told Golf Digest that the PGA Tour’s “greed” was “beyond obnoxious.”
“Some of the statements (Mickelson) made are lies or false. I don’t know where he got his information from,” Horschel said. “It’s unbelievable that he would say certain things because he understands how the PGA Tour works. For him to say certain things about obnoxious greed and the PGA Tour is sitting on $20 billion and some other things, are complete lies.
“I may not see all the numbers that a Player Director might see in board meetings, but I see enough to understand the money is being used correctly. And it’s being used how the PGA Tour says it is.
“It’s tough because Phil has been a great ambassador to the game of golf and I honestly feel he’s hurting his reputation and tarnishing his legacy a little bit.”
As for the Ryder Cup, it has been long rumored that Mickelson, who has played in 12 editions of the biennial tussle between the U.S. and Europe and served as a vice captain in the Americans’ rout in 2021, would be the captain in 2025 at Bethpage Black in New York.
Horschel, who has never played in a Ryder Cup, said that is in jeopardy.
“That’s a decision for the PGA of America and the former captains. I would say at this point in time, if that decision had to be made, if the Ryder Cup was next year for Bethpage, it would be hard-pressed for me to see him actually get that spot,” Horschel said. “I would think they would sort of say we just can’t go down that route. But we’re three years away from that. Things can be corrected; people can admit wrong and do things the right way going forward.
“Hopefully, if that’s what he wants to be, a Ryder Cup captain, there is some way for him to sort of fix anything that sort of has hurt him.”
