Thomas on Mickelson: “He’s obviously very passionate and feels very strongly about certain ways and has made that very vocal. At this point, as much as I hate to say it, it’s his problem and not ours.”
Last Updated: 24/02/22 6:39am
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Justin Thomas says the PGA Tour is only getting better but refuses to be drawn on Phil Mickelson’s comments about the proposed Saudi-backed golf league.
Justin Thomas says the PGA Tour is only getting better but refuses to be drawn on Phil Mickelson’s comments about the proposed Saudi-backed golf league.
Justin Thomas has questioned whether Phil Mickelson can recover his reputation within the sport after his explosive comments about the PGA Tour and the proposed Saudi Golf League.
The six-time major champion accused the PGA Tour of acting like a “dictatorship” and admitted he was using the threat of a breakaway to “reshape” how the Tour operates, with Rory McIlroy taking aim at the “naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant” comments.
Mickelson apologised for his “reckless” comments on Tuesday and said he will be taking a break from golf, but still insisted the way the sport is run needs to change and praised the “visionaries” he had worked with on the rival league.
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Golf journalist Rex Hoggard says Phil Mickelson’s comments about the Saudi-backed tour made it impossible for other players to move away from the PGA Tour.
When asked whether Mickelson’s reputation had been damaged by his comments about the breakaway circuit and the PGA Tour, Thomas told Sky Sports News: “I don’t know, I guess it just depends on who you ask. The things he has said, he said and the way he feels, he feels.
“He’s obviously very passionate and feels very strongly about certain ways and has made that very vocal. At this point, as much as I hate to say it, it’s his problem and not ours.
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Golf writer Doug Ferguson joins Nick Dougherty to discuss the proposed Saudi Golf League and whether it will be a threat to the PGA Tour.
“I think the stuff he has done and said kind of speaks for itself. I’m not really worried about what he’s doing. He’s a lot different stage of his career than I am. I’m just focused on what I’m doing and not getting wrapped up in some of the stuff he’s up to.”
‘PGA Tour is only getting better’
Rory McIlroy said the potential league was “dead in the water” on Sunday after Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau joined the likes of Tiger Woods, Jon Rahm, Collin Morikawa and Brooks Koepka in pledging their future to the PGA Tour.
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Rory McIlroy said the proposed Saudi Arabia-backed breakaway golf league was ‘dead in the water’ after Dustin Johnson and Bryson DeChambeau committed to the PGA Tour.
Thomas has also ruled himself out of joining the SGL, saying the wanted to “create a legacy” on the PGA Tour, with the former world No 1 praising the work being done to improve what the Tour offers.
“The Tour does an amazing job of trying to better its product for all of us players and everything in general,” Thomas said. “Guys are allowed to feel a certain way and it’s not like everybody has to go down the same road.
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Brooks Koepka says we have not heard the end of a proposed Saudi-backed golf league and that someone will ‘sell out and go to it’.
“Guys play golf for different reasons, they’re at different stages of their careers and nobody is wrong in thinking what they think. At the end of the day, I know where myself and a lot of people stand. We love it out here on the PGA Tour and don’t want anything else.
“If other people want to go their separate way then go on with it. They don’t need to drag it along and bring the Tour down with them, because the Tour’s doing great and it’s only getting better.”