Phil Mickelson ripped to shreds as LIV Golf's ultimate detractor refuses to do a Rory McIlory

Peeved Brandel Chamblee has let rip at Phil Mickelson and told the LIV Golf heavyweight he's the defector who has irritated him the most.

The beloved star of the Golf Channel has been a vocal dissenter of the Saudi-backed breakaway league and doubled down on his critiques with a full-on takedown of Mickelson's standing in golf since leaving the PGA. Chamblee – in an illuminating sitdown with USA Today – didn't miss as he tore strips off Lefty and weighed in on the current landscape of the PGA, LIV and what comes next with both sides seeking a resolution. Rory McIlory might have mellowed but Chamblee isn't backing down.

Speaking to Golf Week, Chamblee had no problem spilling his fury about the renegade who has left him vexed, he said: "Well, Phil. Hardly any of these other players had the popularity to make a difference to tilt the game one direction or another. Phil had the potential to do a lot of good in the game. Look, he could have sat in that chair as a commentator for the next 20, 30 years. I have no doubt that he’d have been good at it.

"By all accounts, he’s a pretty smart guy. By all accounts, he spent a lot of time thinking about some cool stuff in the game of golf, and I would have liked to have listened to him for 20 or 30 years. I’d liked to have heard what he had to say. The fans loved him. You know, within the small world of golf, there were a lot of people that didn’t particularly care for him, but I certainly enjoyed watching him play.

"I didn’t love the way he played. I heard him say somewhere along the line that he got criticized for his aggressive style of play. It’s like, who else out here besides Tiger has won more than me? Maybe some people should try to play more like me. If there’s one criticism