Phil Mickelson Says Threat of Rival League to PGA Tour 'Can Really Help' Players

Phil Mickelson doesn't think a threat to the PGA Tour's supremacy in the sport is necessarily a bad thing.

The golf legend said he and his peers stand to benefit from Saudi Arabia's planned series, which is forcing the tour to keep up.

"I think everybody is looking at it and seeing parts of it that can really help and benefit their situation, their life, their career, and then there's parts of it that they're probably concerned with," Mickelson told reporters. "I'm appreciative of the fact that there is competition, and that leverage has allowed for a much better environment on the PGA Tour."

Last April, the PGA Tour rolled out its new Player Impact Program, which will see the sport's top stars paid from a pool of money in addition to whatever they earn from their results on the course.

The step was widely viewed as a way to keep a competing golf tour at bay.

In November, the PGA Tour also increased the FedEx Cup bonus pool from $60 million to $75 million.

Considering the sums of money the Saudi-backed series seems to be willing to throw around, though, the PGA Tour could face a difficult challenge. The Telegraph's James Corrigan reported Ian Poulter was offered £22 million to join, so it's easy to envision what might be on the table for a bigger name such as Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson or Jon Rahm.

Mickelson declined to confirm whether representatives from the splinter tour have reached out to him but did say, "I think every player has been contacted."

Considering what the PGA Tour has done already in response to the mere threat of competition, imagine what it might do if a handful of stars actually defect.