Phil Mickleson has warned LIV Golf is going nowhere amid mounting criticism from Rory McIlroy and other pros.
McIlroy has been outspoken in his opinion of the Saudi-backed rebel series, recently speaking of the 'betrayal' he felt from Ryder Cup teammates including Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood when they ditched the PGA Tour for LIV.
The inaugural season of the controversial upstart comes to its conclusion at the Trump National club near Miami this weekend, with £43m up for grabs in prize money.
Mickelson, who has been a poster boy for LIV, says the series has defied expectations and is here to stay in the long term.
"If I'm just looking at LIV Golf and where we are today to where we were six months ago and people are saying this is dead in the water," he said.
"We're past that, and here we are today, a force in the game that's not going away. It's pretty remarkable how far LIV Golf has come in the last six, seven months. I don't think anybody can disagree with that."
Mickelson opted not to directly respond to the concerns of McIlroy, instead congratulating the Northern Irishman on a stellar season which has seen him return to World No.1.
McIlroy has expressed fears of an 'irreparable' civil war brewing within golf, telling the Guardian: "This 'us versus them' thing has gotten way out of control already.
"If the two entities keep doubling down in both directions, it's only going to become irreparable. We are going to have a fractured sport for a long time. That is no good for anyone."
Twelve four-man teams will take part at the course in Doral, known as the 'Blue Monster', when the final LIV event of the season gets underway on Friday.
They will each chase a £13.7m first-place prize in matches comprising of two singles contests and one foursomes game.
All 32 competing stars will play simultaneously until a winner is determined. Each match winner will score one point, and he first team to earn two points will advance to the semi-finals on Saturday.
Dustin Johnson, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia, Bryson DeChambeau and Mickelson are among the household names that will be skippering the teams.
"We've never had a team event like this in professional golf," Mickelson added.
