The PGA Tour and LIV Golf have been working to find ways to coexist since they began negotiating a merger over a year ago, but there is still some animosity between the two sides. Phil Mickelson showed us the latest illustration of that.
There has been a lot of talk recently about certain LIV stars wanting to return to the PGA Tour when their massive contracts with the Saudi-backed league expire. During a recent appearance on KJR 93.3 FM in Seattle, former Masters champion Fred Couples said Brooks Koepka is one golfer who has expressed interest in rejoining the Tour.
“I talk to Brooks Koepka all the time. I love Brooks Koepka, and I’m not going to say anything extra except I talk to him all the time,” Couples said. “He wants to come back. I will say that I believe he really wants to come back and play the Tour.”
Mickelson, who was one of the first global superstars to sign with LIV when the league launched in 2021, felt Couples’ comments were out of line. The six-time major champion blasted Couples in a social media post that he later deleted.
“If it’s not true he damaged a relationship which he cares about. If it is true he took away Brook’s (sic) control of the timeline and narrative. Either way this is a low class jerk move by Fred,” Mickelson wrote on X.
⛳️ #LOW CLASS — Phil Mickelson calls out Fred Couples pic.twitter.com/fCN6Fnq4yg
— NUCLR GOLF (@NUCLRGOLF) March 4, 2025
There is no love lost between Mickelson and Couples, so the reaction from Phil was hardly a surprise. Couples has been very outspoken against LIV players and has bashed the league’s product. He even called Mickelson a “nutbag” two years ago.
As for whether Koepka actually wants to return to the PGA Tour, that remains to be seen. The three-time PGA Championship winner has a reported $100 million contract with LIV that run through 2025. Though LIV, the PGA Tour and DP World Tour have been negotiating a merger since 2023, they continue to operate as separate entities.
It is unclear if LIV is going to offer top players like Koepka extensions that are comparable to the original deals they signed. That will likely go a long way in determining which golfers stay and which return to the Tour.
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Joaquin Niemann shot 65-63-68 at JCB Golf and Country Club to win LIV Golf United Kingdom by a comfortable three shots. The Chilean now has more wins than Scottie Scheffler in 2025, but it's still hard to take him seriously. All five of Niemann's victories this year have come in the LIV Golf League. He's won nearly half of LIV's 11 tournaments this season, and four of them were by a margin of at least three shots. When you look at the leaderboards of these tournaments, though, the victories lose their luster. At LIV Golf UK, Niemann outlasted 46-year-old Bubba Watson, who has only three top-20 finishes in major championships since his 2014 Masters win. He beat 45-year-old Graeme McDowell and 38-year-old Anirban Lahiri by three shots at LIV Golf Virginia. At LIV Golf Singapore, a struggling Brooks Koepka and journeyman Ben Campbell were the only players within six shots of Niemann's winning score. LIV Golf doesn't have a deep talent pool. When Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm don't have their A games, it's quite easy for a player with Niemann's skill to separate from the pack. What Niemann is doing on LIV Golf is impressive. There's no denying that. The 26-year-old has nine worldwide wins since the start of 2024, but he could win nine more in similar fields, and he still wouldn't be considered one of the elite players in the world. Niemann has played in 26 major championships in his career, and he has only one top-15 finish. He's missed the cut nine times. Niemann finished T29 at the Masters this year after making the cut on the number. Two weeks later, he won LIV Golf Mexico City. After winning LIV Golf Virginia in June, he showed up to the U.S. Open the next week and shot +10 to miss the cut. He missed the cut again at the Open Championship, and—you guessed it—won a LIV event seven days later. Professional golfers are remembered for their performances in major championships. Niemann can win all the exhibition tournaments he wants, but none of those victories will matter until he contends at a major.
According to multiple reports, the Seattle Mariners are set to promote minor league first baseman Tyler Locklear from Triple-A Tacoma on Wednesday. Locklear was removed from the Rainiers game in the fifth inning on Tuesday night, leading to speculation that he was being traded. It no longer appears that that's the case. There's been no indication as to what the corresponding move will be at this time, but there's certainly a few different things potentially in play. Is Luke Raley being traded? After the Mariners acquired Josh Naylor, Raley is no longer needed at first base. That pushes him to the outfield, where the team has clearly favored Dominic Canzone. Raley hasn't started a game since Naylor arrived. He's hitting just .220 this season with four homers, and he also missed more than a month with injury. However, he's under team control through 2028, so he would certainly have appeal to other teams. The Mariners are in the market for relief help and help at third base, so this is possible. Is Raley injured? Some internet sleuths noticed Raley wearing a back brace while the team was in Anaheim over the weekend, leading to speculation that he's hurt. The future of Donovan Solano? With Naylor in the fold, Solano's right-handed hitting first base ability hasn't really been needed. He's only hitting .243 with an 83 OPS+ this season. Is the team prepared to move on from him in order to give Locklear his chance at the backup first base job? And how about Dylan Moore? Keeping Solano and Locklear would seem redundant, but Moore is in a 2-for-56 slump (entering play on Wednesday), leading to speculation about how long he'll be around for. Locklear, 24, made his major league debut last season and hit .156 in 45 at-bats. He's hitting .316 at Tacoma this season with 19 homers and 18 stolen bases. He was just named the PCL's Hitter of the Week.
Would the New York Yankees still be a heavyweight contender without Aaron Judge? Most fans would doubt it. What comes as a shock is that Yankees general manager, Brian Cashman, appears to agree. According to MLB insider Andy Martino of SNY, Cashman had explored the option of selling ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline (6 p.m. EST) if Judge’s flexor strain had turned out to be something worse. Martino wrote this: “[On Saturday], we relayed that the Yankees were floating some of their free-agent-to-be relievers in preliminary trade talks. We have since learned through league sources that last week the Yanks brought up Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt in talks with at least one other club.” It would be strange to see a team with a record well above .500 shop core hitters at the deadline. Both Bellinger and Goldschmidt — hitting .281/.333/.507 with 19 home runs and .283/.341/.419 with eight home runs respectively entering Tuesday — have been valuable producers for the Yankees this year. Goldschmidt signed a one-year deal with the Bronx Bombers over the offseason while Bellinger was acquired via trade with the Cubs. He is signed through 2026 but has a player option at the end of the year. Either player would bring a nice haul back to the Yankees. Of course, the reigning AL MVP’s injury doesn’t seem to be a season-altering, ‘abandon ship’ type of event. Optimistically, Judge should be back soon. But this does serve to illustrate how the team’s success is dependent on one player. Beyond Judge, the Yankees’ batting order doesn’t feature a star-caliber player, or at least a player the lineup can be built around. While this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, New York lacks enough solid hitters to be considered a worthy contender without Judge. The Yankees’ three bottom-of-the-order hitters — Austin Wells (.214), Anthony Volpe (.213) and newest acquisition Ryan McMahon (.223) — all own batting averages below .230 entering Tuesday. And this doesn’t include J.C. Escarra (.205), Oswald Peraza (.152) or even Ben Rice (.229). If Judge was lost for the season, selling wouldn’t have been a bad idea. He is insoluble glue holding the battered Yankees’ roster together, especially with Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt gone for the year. No one on the trade market could replace him, but with Judge coming back, the Yankees might have enough firepower to at least limp to the finish line.
The cornerback carousel in Las Vegas is spinning faster than ever, and one name keeps popping up on social media this week—Jakorian Bennett. Once regarded as a promising young starter, Bennett now finds himself in a challenging situation. With Pete Carroll’s arrival and the reconstruction of the Raiders’ secondary, it seems increasingly likely that Bennett could be the odd man out. However, it should be noted that this is pure speculation—for now. NFL analyst Moe Moton stirred the pot with a post on X/Twitter that raised eyebrows among Raider Nation: “I think it’s a possibility that Bennett gets traded if he doesn’t start this year. Teams will inquire about him. He has starting experience on the outside and played well before suffering that season-ending shoulder injury last year.” In short—if the Raiders don’t have room for Bennett, somebody else will. Would the Raiders actually trade Jakorian Bennett? Additionally, Jesse Merrick of Silver Black Sports Network echoed the sentiment, noting that Bennett has been bouncing between first-, second-, and third-team reps during camp. That’s rarely a positive sign. Even more telling is Merrick’s observation that Bennett doesn’t match the “size profile” Carroll historically prefers at cornerback. If you look at Carroll’s track record, especially in his Seattle days, there’s a certain frame he looks for. In fact, the Super Bowl-winning squad from 2013 heavily featured corners that were over six feet tall. Translation? The 5-foot-11 Bennett may not be the long-limbed, press-happy prototype Carroll covets. Let’s not jump to conclusions… Bennett isn’t just another camp body. His rookie tape showcased significant potential—physicality, closing speed, and a talent for playing the boundary. If it weren’t for the shoulder injury last year (his second season), he might have secured a role by now. However, the Raiders have revamped their roster with larger players and veteran additions, leaving Bennett in a precarious position. The upside? Bennett’s value hasn’t plummeted. He’s still on a rookie contract and has live NFL snaps under his belt—precisely the type of profile that could draw interest from CB-needy teams once the preseason dust settles. Should he indeed be the odd man out in Vegas, it is likely that trade discussions will commence sooner rather than later. Whether Bennett remains on the team or is traded, one thing is certain: the Raiders’ cornerback competition is one of the most captivating position battles of the summer. While Bennett may not be a starter by Week 1, he could very well become a valuable asset for another team. However, this is merely conjecture.
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