52-year-old Michelson “I lost 9kg in the winter… My body is like a college student
The Asian Professional Golf Tour Saudi International (total prize money of 5 million dollars) kicks off in Saudi Arabia on the 2nd. A large number of players from LIV, a golf league led by Saudi capital, will participate. 52-year-old Phil Mickelson (USA) is also included.
At this tournament a year ago, he uttered vicious words, saying, “The greed of the American Professional Golf (PGA) Tour is disgusting,” and faced a strong backlash. He issued an apology and had a period of self-reflection, and since June of last year, he has participated in all 7 LIV competitions. It was only in the top 15 once, but it was sluggish.
Mickelson, who has been consistent with careful and ambiguous answers in recent press conferences and interviews, revealed his relatively candid intentions in an interview with Sports Illustrated USA on the 31st. In his 32nd season after his professional debut, and his second season in LIV, he showed confidence, saying, “I lost more than 9kg over the winter and returned to my weight when I was a college student,” and “I am in very good shape.” “Now I am stronger than ever,” he said, “I am flexible and recover quickly.”
Mickelson said, “I will participate in all major competitions for the next three years,” and “I think there will be a chance to win one or two times.” With six career major wins, he set the record for the oldest major win ever at the 2021 PGA Championship. “I think I can do what happened at Kiawah (2021 PGA Championship course) again,” he said. “I am ready to do something that no player my age has ever done.”
Players who joined LIV are banned from participating in the PGA Tour and cannot participate in general PGA Tour events. However, the organizers of the four major tournaments, including Augusta National Golf Club (Masters) and R&A (The Open), allow LIV players to participate. Mickelson said, “Even if I can never go to a PGA Tour (regular) event again, I’m completely comfortable.” He said, “The tournament to leave footprints is a major tournament, and winning a major makes unforgettable memories for the rest of your life.” Having won 45 victories on the PGA Tour, he said, “The place I really want to do well is in major tournaments.”스포츠토토
Mickelson said that the current world ranking system, which does not reflect LIV performance, has “lost credibility” and that “there will be another, more reliable ranking system that includes all golfers in the world.” His world ranking plummeted from 38th to 254th in one year. “If we continue to use the current world ranking system, which doesn’t include all of the best players, as a criterion for qualifying for the majors, we will end up hurting the tournament,” he added.
“So far, no one has ever come to me and commented negatively about LIV,” he said. The PGA Tour has recently improved its treatment of players to avoid losing players to LIV, and Mickelson claims that there are quite a few PGA Tour players who credit him for some of the changes.
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