Despite creating a social-media firestorm overnight, Phil Mickelson brushed off the distraction and fired an opening 67 at the Saudi International. He was five shots off Matteo Manassero’s early lead.
In comments to Golf Digest on Wednesday, Mickelson took aim at the PGA Tour and said that he’s looking for opportunities elsewhere – perhaps the Saudi-backed Super Golf League – because of the Tour’s “obnoxious greed.”
“If the Tour wanted to end any threat (from the rival leagues), they could just hand back the media rights to the players,” Mickelson told Digest. “But they would rather throw $25 million here and $40 million there than give back the roughly $20 billion in digital assets they control.