LIV Golf: Phil Mickelson calls breakaway tour 'force that is not going away'

Phil Mickelson has been an outspoken advocator of the LIV tour

Phil Mickelson has said the LIV Golf bid is simply a "force successful the crippled that is not going away".

Mickelson said LIV Golf had defied expectations and was present to stay.

"If I'm conscionable looking astatine LIV Golf and wherever we are contiguous to wherever we were six months agone and radical are saying this is dormant successful the water," helium said.

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"We're past that, and present we are today, a unit successful the crippled that's not going away.

"It's beauteous singular however acold LIV Golf has travel successful the past six, 7 months. I don't deliberation anybody tin disagree with that."

The breakaway Saudi Arabia-backed bid has caused controversy, with Rory McIlroy expressing fears of an "irreparable" divided successful golf.

"This 'us versus them' happening has gotten mode retired of power already," the Northern Irishman told the Guardian.

"If the 2 entities support doubling down successful some directions, it's lone going to go irreparable. We are going to person a fractured athletics for a agelong time. That is nary bully for anyone."

McIlroy besides described the breakaway LIV circuit arsenic a "betrayal", and said helium disquieted the bid would jeopardise events specified arsenic the Ryder Cup.

Mickelson declined to respond straight to McIlroy's comments astatine a media league connected Wednesday, alternatively praising McIlroy's play and promoting the format of the last event.

Play gets nether mode connected the 18th spread astatine the people successful Doral, known arsenic the 'Blue Monster', connected Friday with 12 four-man teams chasing a $16m (£13.7m) first-place prize.

The bottommost 8 teams, arsenic determined by results successful the erstwhile 7 events, vie successful matches to determine who volition play against the apical 4 seeded line-ups connected Saturday.

For each head-to-head squad match-up, 3 matches volition instrumentality place: 2 singles contests and 1 alternate-shot (foursomes) match.

All 32 players volition vie simultaneously successful a shotgun commencement and matches volition beryllium played until a victor is determined. Each lucifer victor receives 1 point, and the archetypal squad to gain 2 points volition beforehand to Saturday's semi-finals.

Teams are captained by acquainted large winners specified arsenic Dustin Johnson, Mickelson, Cameron Smith, Brooks Koepka, Sergio Garcia and Bryson DeChambeau.

"We've ne'er had a squad lawsuit similar this successful nonrecreational golf," said Mickelson.

The American has antecedently said that by joining the LIV Golf bid helium has picked the "winning side" successful the quality that has dominated the athletics this year.

"Until some sides beryllium down and person a speech and enactment thing out, some sides are going to proceed to alteration and evolve," Mickelson, who reportedly received a $200m (£176.3m) interest for joining LIV, said earlier this month.

"I spot LIV Golf trending upwards, I spot the PGA Tour trending downwards and I emotion the broadside that I'm on."

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