Phil Mickelson says ‘there’s a need and demand’ for LIV Golf amid ongoing negotiations with PGA Tour

Pro golfer Phil Mickelson joins ‘Fox & Friends’ to discuss the LIV Golf tournament in Miami, the rivalry with the PGA Tour, and the latest on potential merger talks.

Phil Mickelson admitted Friday that the tensions between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have not completely dissolved, despite ongoing negotiations between the two circuits. 

However, the six-time major winner remained adamant that the rival golf league is not going anywhere because of what it offers to golf fans. 

Ahead of the first tournament of the year on U.S. soil, Mickelson appeared on "Fox & Friends" Friday morning to discuss the stark differences between the two circuits and how LIV’s unique structure taps into a market the PGA Tour has previously been unable to. 

Phil Mickelson of the United States plays a shot on the 17th hole during a practice round prior to the U.S. Open at Pinehurst Resort on June 11, 2024 in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

"I wouldn’t say it's gone," Mickelson said of the tension. "We’re about growing the game globally, and the PGA Tour has always been about growing the game nationally. So if you look at it like that, there’s a lot of criticism that we take in the United States, but if you look globally the way LIV Golf is received, it’s incredible." 

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The Saudi-backed golf league launched in 2022 and was met with serious backlash after shaking up the golf world by drawing away many of the Tour’s biggest stars with lucrative signings. 

The fractured relationship between the two circuits appeared to be on the mend after the PGA Tour, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia (PIF) and the DP World Tour signed a framework agreement in June 2023. However, the