Phil Mickelson Takes Aim At McIlroy And Golf Channel In Sarcastic Tweet

Phil Mickelson is being seen more and more on Twitter, with the six-time Major champion posting a tweet of support, somewhat sarcastically, for Rory McIlroy, who leads the Hero Dubai Desert Classic on the DP World Tour.

In the tweet, the 52-year-old stated: "What a great -7 3rd round by @McIlroyRory in DUBAI to open up a 3 shot lead. See if he can finish it off. Watch live final round action from the Middle East on the golf channel."

Mickelson, who joined the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League in 2022, caused quite a stir when he left the PGA Tour. Amongst the players who were critical of Lefty was McIlroy, who was "disappointed" that he had left, before defending the PGA Tour in the wake of Mickelson’s assertion that the PGA Tour is “trending downwards.”

Another mention in the Mickelson tweet is the Golf Channel, with the American also having previous run-ins with one of their analysts, Brandel Chamblee. Back in October, and speaking on the Golf Channel, the analyst stated that: “It’s lost on them (Mickelson and Norman) that they’re working for a dictator and dictators are notoriously good at manipulating people to the incremental change it takes to get to tyranny.” 

In fact, fellow countryman and LIV compatriot, Patrick Reed, filed an Amended Complaint against Chamblee, the Golf Channel and multiple other journalists at the tail end of December, with Larry Klayman, who is the counsel for Reed, stating upon filing the Amended Complaint that: “Contrary to the false reporting of the Defendant Gannett (parent company for the USA Today Network), which lied that the lawsuit had been dismissed in its entirety, Chief Judge Timothy Corrigan’s prior order simply required Mr. Reed to rework his initial complaint, mostly over form, and then to file this Amended Complaint. 

"Not learning its lesson, Defendant Gannett sought to defame Mr. Reed again by mispresenting Judge Corrigan’s order. This was widely republished by other golf media reporters in bed with the PGA Tour."

The tweet by Mickelson comes just a day after his questioning of the PGA Tour's dress code, when Lefty took aim at the outfit choice of then tournament leader, Sam Ryder, specifically his joggers and socks...

Away from Twitter, McIlroy currently sits three shots clear in Dubai and will be looking to add a third Desert Classic title to his trophy cabinet. His closest challengers are Callum Shinkwin and Dan Bradbury, with a few LIV golfers like Richard Bland, Ian Poulter and Reed four shots back.