Inside awkward Masters 2023 Champions Dinner as LIV rebel Phil Mickelson sits in silence for Scottie Scheffler’s feast
PHIL MICKELSON kept his mouth shut at the Champions Dinner — apart from shovelling in his share of the huge spread laid on by last year’s winner Scottie Scheffler.
The three-time Masters champion has been determined to avoid making the sort of remarks that forced him to sidestep Augusta last year and turned down a request to hold a formal press conference.
Despite being paid an eye-popping $200million (£161m) to join LIV Golf, Mickelson told an American journalist he regarded the breakaway circuit’s Saudi Arabian paymasters as “scary motherf***ers” in February last year.
He missed the Masters to deal with the fall-out from those comments and, apart from banging the LIV drum occasionally, has been pretty quiet since then.
Two veteran ex-champions who were also at the dinner confirmed Mickelson — described as a “nutbag” by 1992 champion Fred Couples — was NOT spoiling for a fight.
Fuzzy Zoeller, who pulled on the Green Jacket in 1979, said: “We’re just 33 past champions in a room, all trying to get along, and nobody said a word about LIV.
“Phil sat near the end of the table and kept to himself. He didn’t speak at all.”
And 1973 champion Tommy Aaron said he was surprised at how subdued Mickelson, nicknamed Lefty, was.
He commented: “I wished him good luck but I couldn’t believe how quiet he was.
“Phil took a very low profile. He didn’t say a word. I sat next to Freddie Couples. He spoke a lot but didn’t mention LIV at all.”
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World No 1 Scheffler also avoided mentioning LIV in his pre-dinner remarks, before serving up a dinner of cheeseburger sliders, firecracker shrimp, tortilla soup and a choice of Texas ribeye or blackened redfish.
For dessert there were warm chocolate chip skillet cookies and milk and cookies ice cream.
Mickelson was joined at the dinner by five other LIV golfers who have pulled on the Green Jacket — Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Sergio Garcia and Charl Schwartzel.
Former champions are automatically invited back to Augusta and other LIV players also earned places because of their world rankings or by finishing high up the field a year ago.
This is the first time the rebels have come face to face with the rest of the world’s top players since the PGA Tour issued a blanket ban on anyone playing for the breakaway circuit six months ago.
But that ban does not cover the four Majors, which are all run by independent bodies.
The expected fireworks have not materialised so far, with Rory McIlroy — who blasted European stars such as Garcia, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood for taking the LIV millions — even playing a practice round with another rebel, Brooks Koepka.
But there is no doubt both sides want to prove a point once play gets under way on Thursday.
The LIV players have threatened a mass invasion of the 18th green if one of them wins.
McIlroy and the rest of the golfers who have remained loyal to the PGA Tour are not contemplating a similar celebration.
But a ‘home’ win would vindicate the PGA Tour’s boast that they still hold all the trump cards and would go down well with the Green Jackets.
The bookies clearly agree. The top three in the betting are all PGA Tour stars — defending champion Scheffler, last year’s runner-up McIlroy and former US Open champion Jon Rahm.
That trio also occupy the top three places in the world rankings, with current Open champion Cameron Smith the highest placed LIV golfer in sixth.
Most of the rebels are on the slide because there are no world ranking points on offer in their events — something they are desperate to achieve.