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For the second day in a row, Phil Mickelson was the focus of a heckler at the 2023 U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club on Friday.
According to Josh Peter of USA Today, two volunteers who were with Mickelson’s group described the scene, saying the heckler yelled at Mickelson about leaving the PGA Tour for LIV Golf while he was going from the 14th green to the 15th tee box.
Padraig Harrington, who was in Mickelson’s group, said the heckler was wearing a wig, and he believed it to be the same person who heckled Mickelson while wearing a sombrero during Thursday’s first round.
Friday was Mickelson’s 53rd birthday, and other fans in attendance tried to drown out the heckler by loudly wishing Lefty a happy birthday.
Mickelson largely struggled Friday, shooting a four-over 74 after shooting a one-under 69 in the first round, resulting in him missing the cut at three-over.
After LIV Golf was founded in 2021, Mickelson was perhaps the highest-profile player to make the leap from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-funded tour.
The six-time major champion was eventually joined by other stars, such as Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson and Sergio Garcia.
LIV Golf’s arrival created a clear divide in the golf world, as many who left for LIV were accused of selling out and checking their morality at the door since LIV is financed by a country with a long history of human rights violations.
The PGA Tour and its commissioner, Jay Monahan, played into that narrative, but that didn’t stop the PGA from recently agreeing to merge with LIV Golf and the DP World Tour with financial backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.
It was also announced as part of the merger that golfer who left the PGA Tour for LIV Golf will be given the opportunity to apply for reinstatement to the PGA Tour after previously having their tour cards revoked.
PGA Tour policy board member Jimmy Dunne told ESPN’s Mark Schlabach last week that the PGA plans to reward players who were loyal to the tour by giving them equity in the new enterprise.
Meanwhile, golfers like Mickelson who left for LIV Golf received huge paydays, and will now be given the chance to return to the PGA Tour as well.
