"Hideki knows English" - Phil Mickelson passes hilarious comment on ex-PGA Tour rival's language skills

Phil Mickelson recently made a hilarious comment about Hideki Matsuyama's language skills. He said that the Japanese golfer was smart enough not to speak in English, despite knowing it.

Mickelson is a 45-time PGA Tour champion and now competes in LIV Golf. Hideki Matsuyama is an eleven-time winner on Tour and claimed his latest victory on Sunday, January 5, at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.

Following his win at Kapalua, Matsuyama answered questions in Japanese and had a translator with him. One X user, named Jake Knapp’s Lifting Coach, praised the golfer for not speaking English.

"Hideki Matsuyama being on tour for 11 years and not knowing a lick of English is truly impressive. Props to him," he wrote.

However, Matsuyama's ex-PGA Tour rival, Phil Mickelson, revealed that the golfer knows the English language.

"Hideki knows English but says 'Hideki no English'," he replied.

Earlier, Matsuyama broke the PGA Tour record for the lowest 72-hole score by shooting 35-under at Kapalua. This was his third win in the past year, following victories at the Genesis Invitational and the FedEx St. Jude Championship.

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When will Phil Mickelson return to action?

Phil Mickelson will return to action next month with the fourth season of the LIV Golf circuit. The LIV Golf 2025 season will begin with the inaugural event at Riyadh Golf Club, taking place from February 6 to 8.

Mickelson had an average 2024 season, making just one top-ten finish. His T6 finish at LIV Golf Jeddah was his best result in the Saudi-backed circuit, but outside of that, he failed to do anything impressive. Further, he missed the cut in two of the four majors, with a T43 finish at the Masters Tournament being his best result last year.

In a recent YouTube video filmed with Wesley Bryan, Mickelson appeared optimistic about the new season.

"The game plan? I've been able to get to a point where I believe I can play at the level I played out in my 30s," he said. "I don't know if that's going to be the case. We're going to see heading into this year, but I'm going to really make a push to compete at the highest level."

Earlier, the six-time major champion had also stated that he would step aside if he could not improve his game soon. It will be interesting to see how the new season unfolds for the veteran.