AUGUSTA, Ga. — Canadian Mike Weir’s prediction proved correct as the LIV Golf vs. PGA Tour feud was not mentioned, and Phil Mickelson reportedly didn’t speak at all during Tuesday’s Champions Dinner at ahead of this week’s Masters Tournament.
Weir told Postmedia ahead of the event that he didn’t expect any awkward moments and that golf legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, and Ray Floyd simply would “not put up with that.”
“It would disappoint a lot of guys,” Weir told Postmedia.
A report in Golfweek quotes 1979 Masters champ Fuzzy Zoeller describing the mood of the evening.
“We’re just 33 past champions in a room, all trying to get along,” Zoeller told Golfweek. “Nobody said a word about it. Phil sat near the end of the table and kept to himself. He didn’t speak at all.”
The 52-year-old Mickelson, for years one of golf’s most colourful and gregarious champions, has taken a low-profile since leaving the PGA tour for LIV Golf. The New York Post’s Mark Canizzarro reported earlier in the week that the three-time Masters champ politely declined a pre-tournament press conference this week.
RECOMMENDED VIDEO
At Tuesday’s dinner, the night’s host Ben Crenshaw opened the night by reading a 1954 letter written by Ben Hogan to Masters co-founders Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts explaining what being a member at Augusta meant to him.
This year is the 20th anniversary of Canada’s only Masters winner Weir, and traditionally at the dinner a golfer celebtrating a milestone will be asked to say a few words, something the 2003 champion was ready for.
“Usually Ben Crenshaw (will ask), Weir told Postmedia. “He’s the host and he will make note and someone will say, ‘Hey Mike, tell us a little something about the win.”
Post a Comment