Phil Mickelson says PGA Tour’s fan bases’ age increased from 60 to 65 years old, says LIV Golf is targeting a ‘much younger generation’ 

Phil Mickelson took a jab at the PGA Tour in a recent interview with Mary Alexander Basta. The LIV golfer was asked about the changes in the golf landscape following the inception of the Saudi-funded series and how it has impacted the sport and its audience.

In response, Phil Mickelson claimed that the audience for PGA Tour events has increased from 60 years old to 65 years old, while LIV Golf is attracting a younger audience. Mickelson was one of the earliest golfers to join LIV Golf and has competed in all three seasons of the breakaway series.

LIV Golf initially began with just eight events per season, but over the last two years, they have expanded. In 2024, the series includes 14 tournaments per season.

"I would agree we're in the middle of a disruption phase, but where we're going to end up and where we will be when this gets sorted through is going to be exponentially better than where we were in the path that we were on and I'll give you a couple of examples. Our age group of fan base had increased from 60 to 65 years old on the PGA Tour, and our fan base is after of that on LIV. We're targeting a much different, much younger generation," Mickelson said (via ASAP Sports).

He further discussed how LIV Golf is employing different strategies to connect with fans.

"We are able to do things on-site like what we're doing at Bolingbrook in a few weeks by having -- we're able to do content. We're able to do extra things on-site that we wouldn't be able to do that are more interactive with the fan base, and so that's going to be an example like in the Pros Versus Schmos, where we're competing and bringing in fans into the game and making it a part of the scene and a part of the experience. That's going to be different and unique," he added.

Notably, LIV Golf began in 2022 and is now in its third season. The series has limited its schedule to 14 events this season, with the next LIV Golf event taking place at The Old White Golf Course in Greenbrier from August 16 to 18.

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How has Phil Mickelson played on LIV Golf?

Competing in LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson has had a decent run in the breakaway series. In the first season, he participated in seven of the eight events and finished in 34th position in the season-ending standings.

In the second season, Mickelson competed in 13 of the 14 tournaments and had a solid performance. Although he didn’t win any tournaments, the six-time major winner had some respectable finishes. His best result of the season was a tenth-place finish at the Bedminster event.

In 2024, Phil Mickelson has already competed in 11 tournaments, recording one top-10 finish at the LIV Golf Jeddah event. His most recent outing was at the LIV Golf UK event, where he finished in 34th place.