Phil Mickelson was in attendance at the annual Masters Champions Dinner on Tuesday – but the three-time champion was uncharacteristically quiet according to Sir Nick Faldo
Phil Mickelson attended the Masters Champions Dinner on Tuesday (
Image: Getty Images)
Sir Nick Faldo claims Phil Mickelson didn’t say much during Tuesday’s Masters Champions Dinner.
Mickelson, a three-time winner at Augusta, attended the annual event ahead of this year’s tournament. He was joined by Faldo, another three-time winner, and several other greats of the game such as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player.
Mickelson. 53, was among the LIV Golf stars who attended the dinner, including defending champion and host Jon Rahm. The annual dinner is hosted by the previous year’s champion, with Rahm taking over this year following his victory last year.
Mickelson earned his place at the table in 2004 after winning his first green jacket, and he added two more to his collection in 2006 and 2010. Over the years, ‘Lefty’ has often been the life of the party, according to many of his fellow champions.
However, things seemed different this time around. Mickelson has been at the heart of the conflict between the PGA Tour and LIV in recent years. He was one of the biggest stars to lead the initial move to the Saudi-backed league in 2022.
On Tuesday, Mickelson reunited with his Tour rivals, and according to Sir Nick Faldo, the American was far less chatty than usual. During his commentary for Sky Sports on Thursday, Faldo remarked: “Phil was very quiet on Tuesday, he didn’t say a word. He was dead quiet, standing next to me. I wonder why.”
The English golfer might have been alluding to his views on the LIV setup, which he has criticized in the past. Last summer, Faldo expressed doubts about LIV’s future after the PGA Tour announced a proposed deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF). That deal is yet to be finalized.
Nick Faldo lifted the lid on the Masters Champions Dinner ( Getty Images)
“I don’t think so, because nobody’s really interested,” Faldo claimed when asked if LIV had a future as part of the deal. They’re not going to get the sponsorship that they want. They call it a team (event) and it’s not because it’s strokeplay.”
Faldo continued: “It’s only half a dozen (players) that are really current, half of the field I don’t really know and half the field are there for the very nice last-placed money that you still get if you shoot 20-over.”
Earlier this week, Faldo seemed to take another jab at the breakaway league while discussing LIV member Rahm’s chances of defending his Masters title – a feat Faldo achieved in 1990. “He’s a hell of a player, but he’s going to have to make a little bit more effort to step it up and get the right intensity,” he told the Sky Sports Golf Podcast.
“Whether coming to defend you can do it, or whether he’s just not quite sharp enough because he hasn’t tested himself quite as much, we’ll have to wait and see.”
