Jack Nicklaus’ brutal Phil Mickelson view will leave LIV Golf chiefs squirming

Golf legend Jack Nicklaus was asked about the LIV Golf Tour and its impact on the game at the Masters on Thursday and gave a frank assessment of the breakaway circuit

Jack Nicklaus has acknowledged he hasn’t been keeping up with the LIV Golf series too much.

The golf icon, who boasts 18 major wins and six Masters titles, chatted with reporters after helping kick off the tournament on Thursday morning alongside fellow greats Tom Watson and Gary Player. Nicklaus fielded questions about being taken aback by Phil Mickelson, 54, still swinging at Augusta National when Tiger Woods, 49, is out of the game due to an Achilles injury.

Alongside expressing doubts about Woods joining as an honorary starter in the near future, he also owned up to being clueless about how much action Mickelson sees on the Saudi-supported tour. To put things into context, Mickelson took part in all LIV events last year and has shown up at every one this year too.

News of Nicklaus’ lack of awareness may not exactly thrill LIV Golf officials. “I don’t know what level Phil is competing at,” he said frankly. “I guess he’s still playing. He’s playing the LIV Tour, is he? I don’t know if he’s playing or not. I don’t know, you never see that anymore.”

He added: “I think Phil has been competitive in an odd event here and there but not really in the last few years. You know, Phil has been a good player. There’s no question about that. There’s no question he’s been a good player.”

Nicklaus was then pointedly asked for his take on LIV Golf. Speaking candidly, the 85-year-old conceded that despite a bumpy beginning, the PGA Tour seems to have bounced back quite robustly.