Phil Mickelson recently made a bold prediction about his PGA Tour rival and World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler. The six-time major champion questioned Scheffler's prospects of winning a tournament before the 2025 Ryder Cup but later claimed he was "having a little fun".
The 2025 Ryder Cup will be held from September 26 to 28 at Bethpage Black Course in Farmingdale, New York. Responding to 2008 Masters champion Trevor Immelman on X, Mickelson wrote:
"Here's a hot take. Does Scottie win in 2025 before the Ryder Cup? I don't think so."
Scheffler's career has been on an upward trajectory since his maiden victory on the PGA Tour at the 2022 WM Phoenix Open. Since then, he has had 12 more PGA Tour wins, of which seven came last year.
Not only this, but he has won two Masters tournaments and has maintained the World No. 1 ranking for 95 consecutive weeks. Scheffler has also won the Players Championship twice in 2023 and 2024. Last year, he also won a gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games.
Scheffler's last win on the PGA Tour came at the Tour Championship. He has played in four events in 2025 and made the cut in all of them. He has two top-10 finishes but hasn't clinched a victory yet. He recently tied for 11th at the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass, failing to defend his title.
NUCLRGOLF reshared Mickelson's post on X, sparking discussions and debates among golf fans and analysts. The 54-year-old later clarified his comment and wrote:
"Lighten up everyone (laughing emojis) Just having a little fun"
Phil Mickelson has had a splendid PGA Tour career, winning 45 PGA Tour titles. He has also won six major championships, including three Masters tournaments. His official earnings from PGA Tour tournaments is $96,685,635.
Mickelson has had commendable finishes on LIV Golf lately. He finished third at the LIV Golf event in Hong Kong and is eying the upcoming Masters tournament at Augusta National.
Phil Mickelson names who he thinks is the current World No. 1 golfer
Phil Mickelson asserted that Chilean golfer Joaquin Niemann is the world's No.1 golfer. Mickelson's verdict came after Niemann won his fourth LIV Golf title at LIV Golf Singapore. He won the tournament by five strokes over Brooks Koepka.
After the win, Torque GC took to X and wrote:
Joaquín Niemann has got to be a top 5 player in the world right now. Currently sits at the top of the leaderboard in Singapore for his 2 win of the season and 4th in @livgolf_league. Vamos Joaco"
Responding to Torque GC's tweet, Phil Mickelson wrote:
"Top 5? Try #1"
This was Joaquin Niemann's second victory in the 2025 season. His first win came at the LIV Golf Adelaide where he won by three strokes over Abraham Ancer and Carlos Ortiz. Last year, he won LIV golf tournaments at Mayakoba and Jeddah.