Since switching to LIV Golf, Phil Mickelson has been open about how much he despises the PGA Tour, but the 53-year-old has been trying to assist a fellow player in returning to his previous Tour.
After Mark Baldwin needed assistance getting ready for the second round of PGA Tour qualifying school, Phil Mickelson gave the “coolest experience” of a fellow professional player’s golfing career.
Baldwin advanced through round one of Q-School before focusing on the next phase, one of many aspirants hoping to get a PGA Tour card prior to 2024. Baldwin has benefited from the assistance of one of golf’s greatest players, Mickelson, ahead of an arduous stage two.
On behalf of the PGA Tour prospect, Monday Q Info (@acaseofthegolf1 on X) contacted Mickelson, and the six-time major champion complied – and then some.
The LIV Golf player consented to practice his short game, which is an area of specialization for Mickelson, in addition to playing nine holes with Baldwin. “Let’s meet at 2:30 at either the farms or Rancho Santa Fe tomorrow,” Mickelson texted his fellow professional.
“To help you become sharp, we can play a few games or work on a short game. We can play nine. My suggestion is to refine your feel and touch for the second stage. Your chances of success increase with the number of shots you save around the green. We will get together Sunday morning at 8 a.m. to practice short irons, chipping, and putting. Playtime is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.”
Baldwin, not surprisingly, was eager to accept the 2021 PGA Champion’s offer and said, “Love it! I know you’re playing in the morning, but I’m game for whatever you feel like doing. Playing at nine tomorrow sounds fantastic.” The Tour aspirant then received an even better invitation, and they both went to Mickelson’s house for additional assistance.
The three-time Masters champion faced Baldwin in an 18-hole match following the coaching clinic. In June of last year, Mickelson signed a contract to leave the PGA Tour after more than 30 years, joining LIV Golf instead of Greg Norman and company.
Mickelson infamously all-but confirmed his Saudi switch four months before the news was official, in a staggering interview with Fire Pit Collective. The American described his new Saudi Arabian bosses as ‘scary motherf’, but appeared to brush aside the Middle Eastern-state’s poor human rights record in order to ‘reshape’ the PGA Tour.
In the months that have followed, the HyFlyers captain has built no bridges with his former tour, even after it was announced LIV and the American-based circuit were set to work alongside each other as part of a framework agreement. After the shock deal was revealed in June, PGA Tour officials Jimmy Dunne and Ron Price appeared in front of the U.S. Senate to discuss their decision to join forces with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia.
Accusing Dunne and the Tour of ‘misleading’ players, Mickelson tweeted in July: “What’s weird is no one covering this took the time to ask a lawyer how this legal document reads AND that Jimmy Dunne conveniently left out the two most important parts of the deal and what it means when discussing it publicly and to the players… Misleading half truths.”
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