“He turned his back on the game”: Brandel Chamblee rips into LIV Golf star

Brandel Chamblee has once again slammed Phil Mickelson for “turning his back on the game” following his high-profile move to LIV Golf in 2022.

Chamblee has been one of the most outspoken critics of LIV since its inception, and Mickelson has regularly been the primary target for his criticism.

In a recent interview with Golfweek, the NBC lead analyst continued his war of words with the six-time major champion by claiming he had “really hurt the game” with his decision to defect to LIV.

Mickelson was one of the first high-profile names to join the Saudi-backed league, along with Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, Louis Oosthuizen and Ian Poulter.

Since then, the mercurial American has struggled to replicate the form that made him the oldest-ever major championship winner when he lifted the Wanamaker trophy at the 2021 PGA Championship.

Mickelson has yet to record a win on the breakaway Tour and has only managed three top-ten finishes.

Despite that, he is still one of the Tour’s biggest attractions and will likely continue to be so for some time.

Related: LIV Golf's Phil Mickelson confirms shock split just two weeks before The Masters

It’s that same star power that Chamblee sighted when discussing his disappointment with Mickelson for leaving the premier American circuit.

The former PGA Tour player said:

“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.

“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.

“he had a very high level of skill and a very high level of knowledge of what he was capable of, and it was fun to watch him.

"I’m disappointed in him because he could have left the game in a better place.

“I think that the players that have gone to LIV have done a disservice to the game of golf. It’s like they’re going to get theirs. It’s like they’re all pulling the ladders up. They had to climb up those ladders to get to where they were, and the people that had placed those ladders were the generations that came before them. But they got there, and they think, well, I did it all on my own, I’m going to get everything for me. I’m pulling the ladders up.

“I think Phil could have done a lot of good for the game of golf. Instead he’s really hurt the game.”

Chamblee went on to be questioned about a potential reconciliation with Mickelson but confessed it could be some time before that happens.

And he stated the offer still stands about a potential interview on Golf Channel. 

"He won’t do it," Chamblee said.  

"Mutual friends of ours have offered to get us together. He did not want to do that. He wanted to go on Piers Morgan the week of the U.S. Women’s Open when I was working. But I’m happy to sit down and talk with him. But there’s nothing he can say that’s going to change my mind. Nothing.”

Mickelson and Chamblee's arguments have regularly entered the public domain, with X typically being their preferred battleground.

Check out Mickelson's barbed response to an article about Chamblee below.

Poor Brandel
He can rip apart me and countless others but as soon as someone shows his ignorance he can’t handle it. He’s softer now than he was as a player.

— Phil Mickelson (@PhilMickelson) May 25, 2023

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