Rory McIlroy Says Phil Mickelson's Comments on PGA Tour, LIV Golf Aren't 'Logical'

The war of words between Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson continued Wednesday, with the PGA Tour star disagreeing with Lefty's assessment of the state of men's professional golf.

Before last week's LIV Golf event in Saudi Arabia, Mickelson said joining the new circuit has put him "on the winning side of how things are going to evolve and shape in the coming years for professional golf."

Speaking to reporters ahead of the CJ Cup, McIlroy explained why "anyone that takes a logical view of the game of golf" would disagree with Mickelson's assessment:

"I guess for them to be talking the way they are, it's bold. I think there's a ton of propaganda being used and all sorts of stuff. I certainly don't see the PGA Tour trending downward at all. All the talent, 95% of the talent is here. You've got people like Tom Kim coming through [who is] the future of our game."

Mickelson also said members of LIV Golf and the PGA Tour need to sit down to work out some of their issues, but that he sees LIV "trending upwards" and "the PGA Tour trending downwards and I love the side that I'm on."

LIV golfers don't receive points in the Official World Golf Rankings because the circuit isn't officially accredited by the OWGR. Dave Shedloski of Golf Digest noted on Oct. 6 that LIV's partnership with the MENA Tour may have been an attempt to circumvent the OWGR review process for eligibility.

As LIV has tried to build a case for being a legitimate golf organization, LIV CEO Greg Norman met with a Republican Study Committee in Washington D.C. last month to discuss the circuit's validity.

Per Emily Brooks of The Hill, Norman received pushback from the conservative caucus due to LIV being financed by the Saudi Arabia government.

"Don’t come in here and act like you’re doing some great thing while you’re pimping a billion dollars of Saudi Arabian money and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the United States," Texas Rep. Chip Roy told reporters after the meeting.

Roy went on to say that Norman's efforts were "PR for Saudi Arabia—it’s PR for LIV Golf."

As LIV leaders continue to fight for the circuit's recognition, McIlroy has been outspoken about Mickelson and other golfers leaving the PGA Tour for LIV.

Mickelson was quoted by Alan Shipnuck in February for an upcoming biography as saying the Saudi Arabia government was run by "scary motherf--kers" who "killed [Washington Post reporter and U.S. resident Jamal] Khashoggi and have a horrible record on human rights," but joining LIV was "a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape how the PGA Tour operates."

McIlroy told reporters at the time that Mickelson's comments were "naive, selfish, egotistical, ignorant." He did back off that stance in May ahead of the PGA Championship.

"He’s made decisions, and, you know, he’s had to live with certain consequences of that," McIlroy told Sky Sports. "But I think at this point, it’s like, you know, OK, people could say there were some actions, but for the most part, they were words. And I think people can be forgiven for words."

McIlroy has taken a hard-line stance in favor of the PGA Tour. He and Tiger Woods led a players-only meeting in August in which they developed a plan to increase prize payouts.

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan announced on Aug. 24 that top players on the circuit have committed to playing in at least 20 events in 2023 and 12 elevated tournaments will have average prize purses of $20 million.

The Player Impact Program, which rewards players who have the biggest positive impact on PGA Tour business, is doubling its total prize payout from $50 million in 2022 to $100 million in 2023.