Tiger Woods might be shocked by Phil Mickelson's LIV Golf pro-am playing partner

Phil Mickelson's playing partner during a LIV Golf pro-am might come as a shock to Tiger Woods.

Mickelson is currently in Hemel Hempstead, just outside of London, for the breakaway tour's ninth event of their 2023 campaign. 

He participated in the pro-am at Centurion Club on Thursday and in his group was none other than Dr Pawan Munjal. 

Dr Munjal, 68, is the chairman and CEO of Hero MotorCorp, which is the title sponsor of Woods' PGA Tour event he hosts annually in the Bahamas. 

The Indian billionaire sat alongside Woods in his first news conference after he sustained multiple leg injuries in his February 2021 car crash having rolled his luxury Genesis SUV in the Los Angeles hills. 

It's interesting to see Dr Munjal associate with LIV Golf, given that Hero previously distanced themselves from the rival league. 

In October 2022 it was confirmed that Anirban Lahiri, an Indian professional golfer that is now part of Bryson DeChambeau's Crushers side, had his sponsorship with Hero terminated owing to his association with the organisation. 

Lahiri later released a statement, aiming a subtle dig towards Hero by saying that, 'Any corporate that supports golf should be celebrated. That's all I want to say.' 

Woods has been one of the most outspoken figures against LIV Golf since its inception. 

In no uncertain terms, Woods made it clear how he felt about the rival league players before teeing it up at the landmark 150th Open Championship at St. Andrews. 

"I don't agree with it," Woods said. "I think what they've done is turned their back on what has allowed them to get to this position."

More from LIV Golf London:

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• Graeme McDowell perplexed (?!) with reporter's question at LIV Golf London
• Phil Mickelson breaks silence over PGA Tour deal with 'full truth' post

Photo: Ben Smith/GolfMagic

Woods also famously aimed a dig towards Mickelson when the golfer was in a period of self-imposed exile as he attempted to distance himself from the inflammatory comments he made about working with the Saudis. 

"I believe in legacies," Woods told the media after Lefty decided not to play the 2022 PGA Championship at Southern Hills. 

Woods has yet to comment publicly on the surprise deal that has brought golf's warring organisations together. 

In early June PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan turned the world of men's professional golf on its head when he appeared in a CNBC interview with businessman Yasir Al-Rumayyan after a peace agreement was struck. 

It was agreed the PGA Tour, DP World Tour and LIV Golf's backers, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, would form a new, for-profit company. 

That company is now being referred to as PGA Tour enterprises. 

| Report: PGA Tour execs move to seal court documents which prompted Tiger Woods to break his silence. pic.twitter.com/igrky59lGJ

— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) July 5, 2023

Despite not issuing any public remarks, Woods did post a Tweet in which he denied receiving a document which contained scripted remarks he was suppose to make to PGA Tour players in a private meeting in a call to arms against LIV Golf. 

"In response to the talking points memo released this weekend, I have never seen this document until today, and I did not attend the players meeting for which it was prepared at the 2022 Travelers," Woods wrote.

Those comments suggested Woods was to tell players to join the fight, that Monahan was the right guy for the war and members approached by LIV should do as he did: tell the Saudis to go and F themselves. And mean it. 

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