AUGUSTA, GA – In a fiery and unsparing takedown that has reignited golf’s civil war, eight-time major champion Tom Watson launched a blistering attack on the PGA Tour’s leadership and the “betrayal” of players who joined the Saudi-backed LIV Golf League—specifically calling out Phil Mickelson by name.
Speaking on the eve of Masters week at Augusta National, Watson did not hold back when asked about the presence of 13 LIV Golf defectors in this year’s field, including former champions Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Patrick Reed, and Dustin Johnson.
“Phil Mickelson and his fellow traitors do nothing but ruin our game,” Watson said, his voice sharp with decades of competitive authority. “They took blood money, burned every bridge, and now they want to walk back into the Masters like nothing happened? It’s an absolute disgrace.”
The 76- year-old Hall of Famer, a two-time Masters champion, argued that the PGA Tour and Augusta National Golf Club have been far too permissive in allowing LIV players to compete in major championships without meaningful consequences.
“Sanctions aren’t just appropriate—they’re necessary,” Watson insisted. “You cannot tear the fabric of professional golf apart, sue the very tour that made you, and then expect a green jacket ceremony and a warm handshake. There must be a price.”
Watson specifically reserved his harshest words for Mickelson, with whom he has had a famously tense relationship dating back to Ryder Cup clashes.
“Phil was a hero to millions. Now he’s a pied piper for greed. He recruited other players to the Saudi league while smiling in the faces of PGA loyalists. That’s not competition. That’s sabotage,” Watson said. “He and his band of rebels have fractured locker rooms, diminished the Ryder Cup, and turned our gentlemen’s game into a courtroom circus.”
When asked whether Augusta National should bar LIV players outright, Watson did not hesitate: “If you choose money over the institution that built you, you forfeit the right to compete on its grandest stages. Period.”
The PGA Tour declined to comment directly on Watson’s remarks, but a spokesperson reiterated that the Tour respects Augusta National’s independent invitation process. Meanwhile, LIV Golf issued a brief statement: “Golf is bigger than any one opinion. We look forward to seeing our players compete at the highest level this week.”
Phil Mickelson, who has largely avoided press conferences since his controversial comments about the Saudi regime’s “horrible” human rights record, did not respond to a request for comment. However, in a social media post earlier this week, he wrote cryptically: “The old guard fears what it can’t control. See you at Amen Corner.”
As the first tee at Augusta looms, Watson’s broadside ensures that the battles lines are drawn not just on the fairways, but in the very soul of the sport—loyalty versus lucre, tradition versus rebellion, and the haunting question of who, if anyone, can be forgiven.
