How impactful were Phil Mickelson’s controversial comments last February about the PGA Tour and its Saudi-backed rival league? According to Greg Norman, very.
Norman, CEO of LIV Golf Investments, told ESPN.com on Monday that the startup league, the LIV Golf Invitational Series, was set to launch the week of the Genesis Invitational, but Mickelson’s bombshell interview with The Firepit Collective dropped Feb. 15, two days before the first round at Riviera Country Club, and caused several committed players to balk.
"There's no question [Mickelson's comments] hurt," Norman told ESPN.com. "It hurt a lot of aspects.