Why is Mickelson applauding PGA Tour, Tiger on policy board move?

Phil Mickelson. Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Why is Phil Mickelson applauding PGA Tour, Tiger Woods on policy board move?

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 8/2/23

Phil Mickelson has been very vocal on social media this week, and he has gone from criticizing the league he once played for to praising one of the biggest competitors in his storied career.

So what exactly is his motivation here?

In case you missed it, Lefty posted a fiery tweet claiming that no one playing for LIV Golf has any desire to rejoin the PGA Tour and that the Tour should compensate LIV defectors if a merger does in fact take place.

Then, just two days later, Mickelson was back on the X platform, formerly Twitter, applauding Tiger Woods being appointed as a player director on the PGA Tour policy board -- which will have a say in any decision involving the proposed merger.

This is great to see. Players having equal representation on the board, Tiger getting more involved, and accountability across the board. Awesome news.
— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) August 2, 2023

While this may look like an about-face from the HyFlyers captain, Mickelson has actually long criticized the PGA Tour for not being more transparent, even after he defected to LIV Golf in spectacular fashion. Perhaps he believes -- like many players and fans do -- that having Woods on the board will help keep PGA bigwigs in check.

It is still interesting, though, given that Woods won't be lobbying for the circuit Mickelson plays for. Does Mickelson want to be part of this conversation and thinks speaking favorably about Woods will get him a platform? Does he think appealing to Woods will help if/when it comes to golfers getting bigger paydays in the future? Is he simply happy to see that there is transparency between the world's biggest golf tour and its players? Or is he just another guy on social media sharing his opinion?

Without doing a deep dive into Mickelson's psyche, we really don't know what his motives are. But we can say with some confidence that the six-time major winner appears to be back in the fray and being quotable at that.

Keep an eye on Mickelson's timeline. With the deadline for a merger agreement falling on December 31, he is bound to have plenty more to say -- about Woods, the PGA Tour and just about anything in between.

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