“I certainly respect his opinion” – Here’s what Phil Mickelson had to say in response to Tiger Woods’ criticism of LIV Golf defectors

The LIV Golf-PGA Tour rivalry peaked in July when ace golfer Tiger Woods slammed the Saudi-backed league. Escalating the situation at the time, Woods openly spoke out against the controversial series and the players who decided to join them.

The ace golfer accused the players of ‘turning their backs’ on the PGA Tour and stated that the new league was against the 'best interests' of the sport. While Woods’ strong comments were aimed at hurting the LIV Golf defectors, some rightfully ignored them, including Phil Mickelson.

The American golfer joined LIV Golf in June and has been the tour’s poster boy ever since. Despite being the face of the multimillion-dollar series, Mickelson was not ready for a war of words with his PGA Tour rival Tiger Woods.

Woods, along with golfers like Rory McIlroy, rallied support for the PGA Tour as the PGA-LIV Golf rivalry grew. However, Phil Mickelson shied away from a verbal fight with Woods back in July.

Reacting to Woods’ criticism of LIV defectors, Mickelson, who was suspended from the PGA Tour due to his association with the rebel series, stated that he respected his rival’s opinion.

The American golfer said that he was happy to join LIV Golf despite the harsh criticism. Speaking to the Washington Post, the golfer stated that Woods was free to express his opinion and said:

"I certainly respect his opinion… I have a lot of respect for him. I respect his opinion. I think everybody's going to have strong emotions and opinions about it, and I certainly respect his (Tiger Woods)."

It is pertinent to note that Mickelson’s comments came after the PGA Tour placed a suspension on 17 LIV Golfers including himself. The 52-year-old went on to state that he 'couldn't be happier' to have joined the Saudi-backed league.

Mickelson added:

"I made the right decision for me. And I'm excited about, like I say, having the opportunity to play competitive golf and have it in my life in a more moderate scale to where I can do some things outside of that too. I freed up a lot of other — freed up a lot of time as well… I couldn't be happier."

"I think it's been really good… You can't get it any better. Look, it's not my job to explain or help you understand or whatever. It's just, I couldn't be happier."

Tiger Woods slams LIV Golf

LIV Golf suffered a major blow as several pro golfers, including Tiger Woods, began speaking against the competition.

Speaking against the new series and its players in July, Woods said that 'he didn’t understand it'. The ace golfer also went on to accuse the players of ‘turning their backs’ on the American tour by accepting hefty paychecks to play in the new series.

It should be noted that Woods himself was reportedly offered around $1 billion to join LIV but turned down the offer.