Mickelson says LIV Golf, PGA Tour competition is benefitting players on both sides

Phil Mickelson believes that the PGA Tour would have never implemented its new changes had it not been for the pressure from LIV Golf.

The 52-year-old Mickelson has taken a lot of criticism for his move to the Saudi-backed golf series but believes players on both sides are benefitting from having more competition.

"I think players on both sides of LIV and the PGA Tour are appreciative of what is happening," Mickelson said in an interview with Sports Illustrated. "Every player is benefiting. … There was no leverage. There were no other options."

"I'm extremely happy that the top players are being listened to and that their input is being valued. And that those events are coming about,'' Mickelson said.

The PGA Tour already has suspended players who have joined LIV Golf — some have resigned — as soon as they play in Greg Norman’s rival league.

LIV Golf, backed by the Public Investment Fund in Saudi Arabia, has been paying big names like Mickelson, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka, offering massive signing fees said to be worth $150 million or higher.

Each event has a $25 million purse for a 48-man field over 54 holes. The individual winner of the LIV event gets $4 million.

Two weeks ago, a federal judge denied a request by three LIV golfers who sought to play in the FedEx Cup playoffs.

The PGA Tour made its boldest response yet to LIV Golf with a plan for the best players to commit to a 20-tournament schedule in which they will compete against one another up to 17 times for average purses of $20 million.

The tour also is doubling the bonus pool of its Player Impact Program to $100 million spread across 20 players, and it’s changing the criteria so it’s geared more toward media exposure.

Players starting out their careers will get $500,000 at the start of the year that will count against their earnings until the number is surpassed.

The 20-tournament commitment starts in January with the Sentry Tournament of Champions at Kapalua and assumes top players are eligible.

Most of the key tournaments already were in place _ the Genesis Invitational at Riviera, Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill and the Memorial; Kapalua and Match Play; the three FedEx Cup playoff events; the four majors and The Players Championship.

Still to be announced are four tournaments that Monahan said would be rotated among existing events during the FedEx Cup season -- January to August -- although the Scottish Open is under consideration for hosting a $20 million event.

Players also would be required to play three other tournaments during the FedEx Cup season. That would throw out a lifeline to tournaments that otherwise would have a hard time attracting top players.

But for the tour, it was a chance to all but guarantee when and where to find the best players.

-With files from the Associated Press.