PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Justin Thomas hadn’t read Phil Mickelson’s rip job of the PGA Tour and dalliance with the proposed Saudi Golf League that were published earlier Thursday on the Fire Pit Collective, but when told the gist of Mickelson’s sentiment, Thomas said, “Shocking, never would have guessed.”
Mickelson didn’t mince words, trashing the Tour leadership and airing his grievances publicly in the most detailed and descriptive way.
“Seems like a bit of a pretty, you know, egotistical statement. I don’t know, it’s like he’s done a lot of great things for the PGA Tour, it’s a big reason it is where it is, but him and others that are very adamant about that, if they’re that passionate, go ahead,” Thomas said. “I don’t think anybody’s stopping them.”
Mickelson has been the most outspoken player in opposition of how the PGA Tour is running its business, but he isn’t the only player who is considering jumping ship. When Thomas was asked if he’d reached the point where he thought players should make up their mind and pick a side – either with the PGA Tour or one of the breakaway leagues – Thomas made his views clear: “I’m way past that,” he said. “I’ve heard way too much talk about a lot of players that are so done with everything, but they keep hanging around, so clearly they’re not too done.”
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For all the speculation that as many as 20 players are ready to sign on the dotted line for lucrative pay days from the Saudis, not a single player has stepped forward to do so. Thomas isn’t the only player tired of the rumors. Rory McIlroy expressed a similar sentiment on Wednesday, as did Collin Morikawa after an opening-round 4-under 67 on Thursday.
“You know, I think we’re just more sick of, what I touched about upon earlier, is we just want something to be said. We don’t know what’s going on. We’re just all hypothesizing and guessing, you know, when this, when that, what date. It’s all unknown,” Morikawa said. “I think that’s what we’re sick of. It sucks to not know things and it’s just an unknown, so why keep talking about it until something’s actually said.”