'I Feel Sad For Phil' - Super League CEO Greg Norman

Greg Norman says Phil Mickelson "made a mistake" and he feels "sad" for the six-time Major champion after controversial comments surrounding the PGA Tour and the new Saudi-backed Super League.

The Aussie, speaking to the Five Clubs podcast (opens in new tab), said he had recently spoken to Mickelson and told him he always will have "an open door to the game of golf." “He made a mistake,” Norman told the Five Clubs podcast. “Phil’s entitled to his opinion, right? At the end of the day, I feel sad for Phil. I think he hurt himself. I think he hurt the game of golf. I’ve been reading the comments, off the record, on the record, who knows – they’re out there.

"I look into the future; I don’t look into the past. We’ve dealt with those issues. We’ve understood those issues. I’ve spoken to Phil as recently as two days ago. You move on. You move forward. Everybody on this planet, not one person who hasn’t said something they’d wish they had never said.

“We had a very open conversation. But as I told Phil, ‘You always will have an open door to the game of golf.’”

Mickelson recently issued a statement to say he was "deeply sorry" for his comments, which he said he "sincerely" regretted. His comments appeared in a Fire Pit Collective article by Alan Shipnuck, the author of an upcoming Mickelson biography. Lefty spoke about how he has been involved with LIV Golf Investments and the start of Super League but was only doing so for leverage against the PGA Tour. He also referred to the Saudis as "scary mother*******," after recently accusing the PGA Tour of "obnoxious greed."

He is currently taking time away from the game, having skipped the Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass earlier this month. It is unknown when he will return and whether he will tee it up at Augusta National, where he is a three-time champion, in just two weeks' time.

The Super League, officially known as the LIV Golf Invitational Series, was finally launched last week after months of speculation. The eight event series will begin at London's Centurion Club in June, one week prior to the US Open, with players competing for $255m in prize money throughout the eight tournaments. The first seven regular season events will each carry a total purse of $25m, comprised of $20m in individual prizes and $5m for the top three teams, before a Team Championship concludes the inaugural series.